go, all four of us together, that we may see which of us telleth the truth.”  Masrur said, “Come, let us go, that I may do to this ill-omened old woman evil deeds[FN#76] and deal her a sound drubbing for her lying.”  And the duenna answered him, “O dotard, is thy wit like unto my wit?  Indeed, thy wit is as the hen’s wit.”  Masrur was incensed at her words and would have laid violent hands on her, but the Lady Zubaydah pushed him away from her and said to him, “Her truth-speaking will presently be distinguished from thy truth-speaking and her leasing from thy leasing.”  Then they all four arose, laying wagers one with other, and went forth a-foot from the palace-gate and hied on till they came in at the gate of the street where Abu al-Hasan al-Khali’a dwelt.  He saw them and said to his wife Nuzhat al-Fuad, “Verily, all that is sticky is not a pancake[FN#77] they cook nor every time shall the crock escape the shock.  It seemeth the old woman hath gone and told her lady and acquainted her with our case and she has disputed with Masrur the Eunuch and they have laid wagers each with other about our death and are come to us, all four, the Caliph and the Eunuch and the Lady Zubaydah and the old trot.”  When Nuzhat al-Fuad heard this, she started up from her outstretched, posture and asked, “How shall we do?” whereto he answered, “We will both feign ourselves dead together and stretch ourselves out and hold our breath.”  So she hearkened to him and they both lay down on the place where they usually slept the siesta[FN#78] and bound their feet and shut their eyes and covered themselves with the veil and held their breath.  Presently, up came the Caliph, Zubaydah, Masrur and the old woman and entering, found Abu al-Hasan the Wag and wife both stretched out as dead; which when the Lady saw, she wept and said, “They ceased not to bring ill-news of my slave-girl till she died,[FN#79] methinketh Abu al-Hasan’s death was grievous to her and that she died after him."[FN#80] Quoth the Caliph, “Thou shalt not prevent me with thy prattle and prate.  She certainly died before Abu al-Hasan, for he came to me with his raiment rent and his beard plucked out, beating his breast with two bits of unbaked brick,[FN#81] and I gave him an hundred dinars and a piece of silk and said to him, “Go, bear her forth and I will give thee a bed-fellow other than she and handsomer, and she shall be in stead of her.  But it would appear that her death was no light matter to him and he died after her;[FN#82] so it is who have beaten thee and gotten thy stake.”  The Lady Zubaydah answered him in words galore and the dispute between them waxed sore.  At last the Caliph sat down at the head of the pair and said, “By the tomb of the Apostle of Allah (whom may He save and assain!) and the sepulchres of my fathers and forefathers, whoso will tell me which of them died before the other, I will willingly give him a thousand dinars!” when Abu al-Hasan heard the Calipih’s words, he sprang up in haste and said,