"It was on my way home that I learned that all the women of the town had been invited by you. They had gone to tell you of their lives and sorrows. So I decided that I, too, should go and tell you this story, the strangest of my life. So there you have it. I am not sure whether it presages good luck or misfortune, perhaps both."
       
       The princess thanked the young lady for her story and dismissed her, saying, "Come back tomorrow morning before dawn. Please do not fail me."
       
       That evening the princess asked her parents for permission to go on a journey. Of course, the king and queen had many questions, but the princess would only answer some of them: "Yes, I'll have company. A nice young woman will come tomorrow to act as my guide to the mountains. She has been very good to me, so much so that I feel much better now."
       
       Believing that their daughter had been on the brink of death only a little while before, and seeing that she now seemed almost recovered, the king and queen agreed that a trip to the mountains might do her health good. So they gave their consent.
       
       At dawn the next morning, the guide arrived. Together the two women walked to the river. Soon they saw the camel approach. All the dirty cups, plates, and pans were on its back. When the magical washing up was done, and all the utensils had resumed their places on its back, the animal departed with measured stride. At once the two women grasped its tail and were dragged along behind. The camel did not seem to be bothered in the least by their weight.
       
       After several hours they arrived at the sheer rock wall. This opened at once when the camel approached, so it could walk into the garden. There, the utensils left its back. The women hid behind some flowering shrubs in the garden. They were just in time. The two big birds arrived, with a loud flapping of wings. They alighted beside the pond, then plunged into the water. A few moments later they reemerged as two handsome men, one dressed in black and the other in white. The man in white was so attractive that the princess fell in love with him as soon as she saw his human shape.
       
       The two women followed the men inside and hid behind the curtains. Soon, the prince opened his jewel box and began lamenting his love for the princess. But a strange thing happened: the gems and jewels neither sobbed nor shed tears. Startled, the prince asked them, "What has happened?"
       
       "Our mistress is here, so we are happy and cheerful," the jewels replied.
       
       The prince did not believe his ears. He gave himself over to his laments once again: "Oh! How lovely she is, that princess! I love her!"
       
       The princess did not wish to hear another word. She stepped out from her hiding place and declared: "And she loves you, my prince!"
       
       She ran up to him and threw herself into his arms. They covered each other with tears of joy. The prince asked if she would marry him. Of course, she said.
       
       Meanwhile, the prince's companion was enamored of the woman who had guided the princess. He asked her to marry him and she, too, said yes. So, from an ounce of sorrow, the princess who had been denied all knowledge of the world and the woman who had lived a life of servitude both found happiness and bliss.