"Princess," said the false Fatima with great dissimulation, "forgive the liberty I take, but in my opinion, if it is of any importance, if a roc's egg were hung up in the middle of the dome, this hall would have no parallel in the four quarters of the world, and would be the wonder of the universe." "My good mother," said the princess, "what is a roc, and where may one get an egg?" "Princess, it is a bird of prodigious size that lives on Mount Caucasus; the architect who built your palace can get you one." After the princess had thanked the false Fatima for what she believed her good advice, she conversed upon other matters, but she could not forget the roc's egg, and that evening when she met Aladdin, she almost immediately addressed him. "I always believed that our palace was the most superb, magnificent, and complete in the world, but I will tell you now what it wants, and that is a roc's egg hung up in the midst of the dome." "Princess," replied Aladdin, "it is enough that you think it wants such an ornament; you shall see by my diligence that there is nothing that I should not do for your sake." Aladdin left the Princess Buddir al Buddoor that moment, and went up into the hall of the four and twenty windows, where, pulling from his bosom the lamp, which he now always carried upon him, he rubbed the lamp till the genie came. "Genie," said Aladdin, "I command that in the name of this lamp you bring me a roc's egg to be hung up in the middle of the dome of the hall of the palace." Aladdin had no sooner pronounced these words than the hall shook as if it would fall, and the genie cried in a loud voice, "Is it not enough that I and the other slaves of the lamp have done everything for you, but you, by an unheard-of ingratitude, command me to bring my master and hang him up in the midst of this dome? For this attempt, you and the princess deserve to be immediately reduced to ashes; I spare you simply because this request does not come from yourself. The true author is the brother of the African magician, your enemy, whom you have destroyed. He is now in your palace, disguised in the habit of the holy woman, Fatima, whom he has murdered. It is at his suggestion that your wife makes this pernicious demand. His design is to kill you, therefore take care of yourself." After these words the genie disappeared. Aladdin resolved at once what to do. He returned to the princess's apartment, where, saying nothing of what had happened, he sat down, complaining of a great pain in the head. The princess told him how the holy Fatima was in the palace, and the prince requested that she be brought to him at once. "Come hither, good mother," said Aladdin, when the pretended Fatima appeared; "I am glad to see you. I have a violent pain in my head, and hope you will not refuse to cure me as you do other afflicted persons."