“To-morrow, toward evening,” answered the girl. [[46]]
Accordingly, when the shadows lengthened upon the morrow, the mother hid herself in a closet at one end of her daughter’s room. At the expected time, while the girl sat working upon her lace, the same bird entered, lowered his head three times, and spoke the same words—with this slight difference, that he addressed the maiden as sultana.
After the words were spoken, the bird turned to the window and was soon beyond sight.
The poor mother had overheard all. As the two flew to embrace each other the mother cried: “Ai, my daughter, let us fly! Let us try to escape from the power of this cruel bird.”
And the girl answered, “Let us fly together, mother, come what will!”
They made haste to gather those goods which were light in weight but heavy in worth; after which they closed the doors of their home and set forth, with all speed, upon a journey which they well knew must be perilous.
They rested but little, one of them always keeping watch. After several days of travel they came to a magnificent palace. Hastening to its walls, they sat down in the shadow and considered what they would better do next. Being weary, they lay down in a hidden spot, and although the mother was firm in her will to remain awake, a strange power [[47]]took hold upon her that she could not resist. Sleep closed her eyes. She became unconscious.
Upon this the strange bird again made its appearance, and, although it seemed not larger than an ordinary songster, it possessed such strength as to lift the sleeping girl. Gently it bore her over the wall and into a room of the palace, where it laid her upon a beautiful golden divan.
Almost immediately the sleeper opened her eyes, and discovered that she was separated from her mother and within the palace. She arose and looked about her. Lying upon a bier in the middle of the room, under a white, transparent covering, was a corpse.
When her eyes fell upon this the poor girl nearly went out of her senses for terror, and exclaimed: “Evil is upon me! That which the bird foretold was, indeed, very truth.”