carried nothing with you when we saw you before with the gardener, and now we see you have a golden box; is this some treasure found by the gardener, and did he come and tell you of it?”
“No, brother,” answered the princess, “I took the gardener to the place where this casket was concealed, and showed him where to dig; but you will be more amazed when you see what it contains.”
The princess opened the box, and when the princes saw that it was full of pearls, which, though small, were of great value, they asked her how she came to the knowledge of this treasure. “Brothers,” said she, “come with me and I will tell you.” The princess, as they returned to the house, gave them an account of her having consulted the Bird, as they had agreed she should, and the answer he had given her; the objection she had raised to preparing a dish of cucumbers stuffed full of pearls, and how he had told her where to find this box. The sister and brothers formed many conjectures to penetrate into what the Bird could mean by ordering them to prepare such a dish; but after much conversation, they agreed to follow his advice exactly.
As soon as the princess entered the house, she called for the head cook; and after she had given him directions about the entertainment for the emperor, said to him: “Besides all this, you must dress an extraordinary dish for the emperor’s own eating, which nobody else must have anything to do with besides yourself. This dish must be of cucumbers stuffed with these pearls”; and at the same time she opened him the box, and showed him the jewels. The chief cook, who had never heard of such a dish, started back, and showed his thoughts by his looks; which the princess penetrating, said: “I see you take me to be mad to order such a
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