four
o'clock
` I beg you will do me the honour to choose whatever in my kingdom pleases you the best , ' answered the king . ` Then , ' said the prince , ` I choose this beautiful bird . ' As the prince spoke Fantosina began to sing , for although she had made up her mind she could never be other than a bird as long as she lived , she had already grown to love the prince so dearly that she felt pleased at the idea of going away with him . The prince was to set forth at four o'clock the same afternoon , and from the window where her cage hung Fantosina could see the people making ready for his departure . When the four white horses were put into his carriage , she began to fear lest she should be forgotten , and to remind the prince , she began to sing her loudest . Presently Abdullah came to the room and climbed on to a chair to take down the cage , which he carried outside the palace . The king and queen and several courtiers stood around the prince to bid him farewell , and when Abdullah joined the group with the cage in his hand , the king felt ashamed of the smallness of his gift .