Then said she:—­I have heard, O auspicious King, that Prince Ali presently asked one of the shopkeepers with whom he had made acquaintance, saying, “O my friend, is this man a maniac that he asketh a sum of thirty thousand Ashrafis for this little pipe of ivory?  Surely none save an idiot would give him such a price and waste upon it such a mint of money.”  Said the shop man, “O my lord, this broker is wiser and warier than all the others of his calling, and by means of him I have sold goods worth thousands of sequins.  Until yesterday he was in his sound senses; but I cannot say what state is his to day and whether or no he have lost his wits; but this wot I well, that if he ask thirty thousand for yon ivory tube, ’twill be worth that same or even more.  Howbeit we shall see with our own eyes.  Sit thee here and rest within the shop until he pass this way.”  So Prince Ali abode where he was bidden and presently the broker was seen coming up the street.  Then the shopman calling to him said, “O man, rare merit hath yon little pipe; for all the folk are astounded to hear thee ask so high a price therefor; nay more, this friend of mine thinketh that thou art crazy.”  The broker, a man of sense, was on no wise chafed at these words but answered with gentle speech, “O my lord, I doubt not but that thou must deem me a madman to ask so high a price, and set so great a value upon an article so mean; but when I shall have made known to thee its properties and virtues, thou wilt most readily consent to take it at that valuation.  Not thou alone but all men who have heard me cry my cry laugh and name me ninny.”  So saying, the broker showed the Spying Tube to Prince Ali and handing it to him said, “Examine well this ivory, the properties of which I will explain to thee.  Thou seest that it is furnished with a piece of glass at either end;[FN#327] and, shouldst thou apply one extremity thereof to thine eye, thou shalt see what thing soe’er thou listest and it shall appear close by thy side though parted from thee by many an hundred of miles.”  Replied the Prince, “This passeth all conception, nor can I believe it to be veridical until I shall have tested it and I become satisfied that ’tis even as thou sayest.”  Hereupon the broker placed the little tube in Prince Ali’s hand, and showing him the way to handle it said, “Whatso thou mayest wish to descry will be shown to thee by looking through this ivory.”  Prince Ali silently wished to sight his sire, and when he placed the pipe close to his eye forthwith he saw him hale and hearty, seated on his throne and dispensing justice to the people of his dominion.  Then the youth longed with great longing to look upon his lady love the Princess Nur al-Nihar; and straightway he saw her also sitting upon her bed, sound and sane, talking and laughing, whilst a host of handmaids stood around awaiting her commands.  The Prince was astonished exceedingly to behold this strange and wondrous spectacle, and said to himself, “An I should wander the