The young man saluted him and Abu al-Fath returned his salaam and bade him be seated.  So he sat down by him and said to him, “O merchant, I wish to look at such a face veil.”  Accordingly he bade his slave bring him a bundle of silk from the inner shop And opening it, brought out a number of veils, whose beauty amazed the youth.  Among them was the veil he sought; so he bought it for fifty gold pieces and bore it home well pleased.—­And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Six Hundredth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the youth after buying the veil of the merchant bore it home; but hardly had he reached the house when lo! up came the old woman.  He rose to her and gave her his purchase when she bade him bring a live coal, with which she burnt one of the corners of the veil, then folded it up as before and, repairing to Abu al-Fath’s house, knocked at the door.  Asked the damsel, “Who is there?”; and she answered, “I, such an one.”  Now the damsel knew her for a friend of her mother so, when she heard her voice, she came out and opening the door to her, said, “What brought thee here, O my mother?  My mamma hath left me and gone to her own house.”  Replied the old woman, “O my daughter, I know thy mother is not with thee, for I have been with her in her home, and I come not to thee, but because I fear to pass the hour of prayer; wherefore I desire to make my Wuzu-ablution with thee, for I know thou art clean and thy house pure."[FN#230] The damsel admitted the old trot who saluted her and called down blessings upon her.  Then she took the ewer and went into the wash house, where she made her ablutions and prayed in a place there.  Presently, she came out again and said to the damsel, “O my daughter, I suspect thy handmaidens have been in yonder place and defiled it; so do thou show me another place where I may pray, for the prayer I have prayed I account null and void.”  Thereupon the damsel took her by the hand and said to her, “O my mother, come and pray on my carpet, where my husband sits.”  So she stood there and prayed and worshipped, bowed and prostrated; and presently, she took the damsel unawares and made shift to slip the veil under the cushion, unseen of her.  Then she blessed her and went her ways.  Now as the day was closing Abu al-Fath came home and sat down upon the carpet, whilst his wife brought him food and he ate of it his sufficiency and washed his hands; after which he leant back upon the cushion.  Presently, he caught sight of a corner of the veil protruding from under the cushion; so he pulled it out and considered it straitly, when, knowing it for that he had sold to the young man, he at once suspected his wife of unchastity.  Thereupon he called her and said, “Whence hadst thou this veil?” And she swore an oath to him, saying, “None hath come to me but thou.”  The merchant was silent for fear of scandal, and said to himself, “If