It happened that , a little before this time , the princess had been sent away for her health to another remote province ; and whilst she was there her old friend , the governor 's wife , had begged her to come and stay with them as soon as she could . The princess accepted gladly , and was actually staying in the governor 's house at the very time when the king made up his mind to send Nur Mahomed there with the mysterious despatch . According to orders Nur Mahomed presented himself early the next morning at the king 's private apartments . His best horse was saddled , food placed in is saddle-bag , and with some money tied up in his waist-band , he was ready to start . The king handed over to him a sealed packet , desiring him to give it himself only into the hands of the governor , and to no one else . Nur Mahomed hid it carefully in his turban , swung himself into the saddle , and five minutes later rode out of the city gates , and set out on his long journey . The weather was very hot ; but Nur Mahomed thought that the sooner his precious letter was delivered the better ; so that , by dint of riding most of each night and resting only in the hottest part of the day , he found himself , by noon on the third day , approaching the town which was his final destination . Not a soul was to be seen anywhere ; and Nur Mahomed , stiff , dry , thirsty , and tired , looked longingly over the wall into the gardens , and marked the fountains , the green grass , the shady apricot orchards , and giant mulberry trees , and wished he were there . At length he reached the castle gates , and was at once admitted , as he was in the uniform of the king 's bodyguard . The governor was resting , the soldier said , and could not see him until the evening . So Nur Mahomed handed over his horse to an attendant , and wandered down into the lovely gardens he had seen from the road , and sat down in the shade to rest himself . He flung himself on his back and watched the birds twittering and chattering in the trees above him . Through the branches he could see great patches of sky where the kites wheeled and circled incessantly , with shrill whistling cried . Bees buzzed over the flowers with a soothing sound , and in a few minutes Nur Mahomed was fast asleep . Every day , through the heat of the afternoon , the governor , and his wife also , used to lie down for two or three hours in their own rooms , and so , for the matter of that , did most people in the palace . But the princess , like many other girls , was restless , and preferred to wander about the garden , rather than rest on a pile of soft cushions . What a torment her stout old attendants and servants sometime thought her when she insisted on staying awake , and making them chatter or do something , when they could hardly keep their eyes open ! Sometimes , however , the princess would pretend to go to sleep , and then , after all her women had gladly followed her example , she would get up and go out by herself , her veil hanging loosely about her . If she was discovered her old hostess scolded her severely ; but the princess only laughed , and did the same thing next time . This very afternoon the princess had left all her women asleep , and , after trying in vain to amuse herself indoors , she had slipped out into the great garden , and rambled about in all her favourite nooks and corners , feeling quite safe as there was not a creature to be seen .
Suddenly , XXXXX turning a corner , she stopped in surprise , for before her lay a man fast asleep !
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