The accident, so fatal to all his profits, had restored my brother to his senses, and seeing that the mischief had been caused by his own insufferable pride, he rent his clothes and tore his hair, and lamented himself so loudly that the passers-by stopped to listen.  It was a Friday, so these were more numerous than usual.  Some pitied Alnaschar, others only laughed at him, but the vanity which had gone to his head had disappeared with his basket of glass, and he was loudly bewailing his folly when a lady, evidently a person of consideration, rode by on a mule.  She stopped and inquired what was the matter, and why the man wept.  They told her that he was a poor man who had laid out all his money on this basket of glass, which was now broken.  On hearing the cause of these loud wails the lady turned to her attendant and said to him, “Give him whatever you have got with you.”  The man obeyed, and placed in my brother’s hands a purse containing five hundred pieces of gold.  Alnaschar almost died of joy on receiving it.  He blessed the lady a thousand times, and, shutting up his shop where he had no longer anything to do, he returned home.

He was still absorbed in contemplating his good fortune, when a knock came to his door, and on opening it he found an old woman standing outside.

“My son,” she said, “I have a favour to ask of you.  It is the hour of prayer and I have not yet washed myself.  Let me, I beg you, enter your house, and give me water.”

My brother, although the old woman was a stranger to him, did not hesitate to do as she wished.  He gave her a vessel of water and then went back to his place and his thoughts, and with his mind busy over his last adventure, he put his gold into a long and narrow purse, which he could easily carry in his belt.  During this time the old woman was busy over her prayers, and when she had finished she came and prostrated herself twice before my brother, and then rising called down endless blessings on his head.  Observing her shabby clothes, my brother thought that her gratitude was in reality a hint that he should give her some money to buy some new ones, so he held out two pieces of gold.  The old woman started back in surprise as if she had received an insult.  “Good heavens!” she exclaimed, “what is the meaning of this?  Is it possible that you take me, my lord, for one of those miserable creatures who force their way into houses to beg for alms?  Take back your money.  I am thankful to say I do not need it, for I belong to a beautiful lady who is very rich and gives me everything I want.”

My brother was not clever enough to detect that the old woman had merely refused the two pieces of money he had offered her in order to get more, but he inquired if she could procure him the pleasure of seeing this lady.

“Willingly,” she replied; “and she will be charmed to marry you, and to make you the master of all her wealth.  So pick up your money and follow me.”