Dorani

"

But Dorani declared that she had not spoken one word to him, and she couldn't think why the stool flew as if weighed down at one side. The fairy still looked doubtful, but made no answer, and took her seat beside Dorani, the prince again holding tightly one leg. Then the stool carried both on through the air until it came to the palace of Indra the rajah.

All through the night the women sang and danced before the rajah Indra, while a magic lute played by itself the most bewitching music the prince had ever heard, and the prince was quite entranced. Just before dawn the rajah gave the signal to cease. Again the two women seated themselves on the stool and, with the prince clinging to the leg, it flew back to earth, and bore Dorani and her husband safely to the perfume merchants's shop.

Here the prince hurried straight on to the palace. As he passed the threshold of his own rooms he became visible again. Then he lay down upon a couch and waited for Dorani's arrival.

As soon as she arrived, she took a seat and remained as silent as usual, with her head bowed on her knees. For a while not a sound was heard, but presently the prince said, "I dreamed a curious dream last night, and as it was all about you I am going to tell it to you, although you heed nothing."

The girl, indeed, took no notice of his words, but in spite of that he proceeded to relate every single thing that had happened the evening before, leaving out no detail that he had seen or heard. And when he praised her singing -- and his voice shook a little -- Dorani just looked at him; but she said naught, though in her own mind, she was filled with wonder.

"What a dream," she thought. "Could it have been a dream? How could he have learnt in a dream all I had done?" Still she kept silent; only she looked that once at the prince, and then remained all day as before, with her head bowed upon her knees.

When night came the prince again made himself invisible and followed her.