"He must be starving in prison," she thought, "and I will take him food."When her neighbours heard of her intention they lifted their hands in consternation and horror."God be gracious to my father!" they cried.
"Shawan? You? Alone? Child, you'll be lost, lost--worse, a thousand times worse! Shoof! you're only a baby still."But their protests availed as little to keep Naomi at her home now as their importunities had done before to induce her to leave it.
"He must be starving in prison," she said, "and I will take him food."Her neighbours left her to her stubborn purpose.
"Allah!" they said, "who would have believed it, that the little pink-and-white face had such a will of her own!"Without more ado Naomi set herself to prepare for her journey.
She saved up thirty eggs, and baked as many of the round flat cakes of the country; also she churned some butter in the simple way which the women had taught her, and put the milk that was left in a goat's-skin.In three days she was ready, and then she packed her provisions in the leaf panniers of a mule which one of the neighbours had lent to her, and got up before them on the front of the burda, after the manner of the wives whom she had seen going past to market.
When she was about to start her gossips came again, in pity of her wild errand, to bid her farewell and to see the last of her.