"My Princess," he said, "since it is so hard to part, wilt thou not ride with me upon the Enchanted Horse? When we are once more in Persia our marriage shall take place, and then we will return to the King thy father."
So together they mounted the Enchanted Horse and the Prince placed his arm around the Princess and turned the magic peg. Up and up they flew over land and sea, and then the Prince turned the other screw, and they landed just outside his father's city. He guided the horse to a palace outside the gates, and there he left the Princess, for he wished to go alone to prepare his father.
Now when the Prince reached the court he found every one dressed in brown, and all the bells of the city were tolling mournfully.
"Why is every one so sad?" he asked of one of the guards.
"The Prince, the Prince!" cried the man. "The Prince has come back."
And soon the joyful news spread over the town, and the bells stopped tolling and rang a joyful peal.
"My beloved son!" cried the King, as he embraced him. "We thought thou wert lost for ever, and we have mourned for thee day and night."
Without waiting to hear more, the Prince began to tell the King all his adventures, and how the Princess of Bengal awaited him in the palace outside the gates.
"Let her be brought here instantly," cried the King, "and the marriage shall take place to-day."