to his wife and placed him under her charge with strict injunctions to take care of the second foundling sedulously as she had done with the first.  The Shah, enraged to hear the evil tidings, again rose up to slay the Queen; but as before the Grand Wazir prevented him and calmed his wrath with words of wholesome rede and a second time saved the unhappy mother’s life.  And after another year had gone by the Banu was brought to bed and this time bore a daughter by whom the sisters did as they had done by her brothers:  they set the innocent inside a basket and threw her into the stream; and the Intendant found her also and took her to his wife and bade her rear the infant together with the other two castaways.  Hereupon the Envious Sisters, wild with malice, reported that the Queen had given birth to a musk-ratling;[FN#354] whereat King Khusrau could no longer stay his wrath and indignation.  So he cried in furious rage to the Grand Wazir, “What, shall the Shah suffer this woman, who beareth naught but vermin and abortions, to share the joys of his bed?  Nay more, the King can no longer allow her to live, else she will fill the palace with monstrous births:  in very sooth, she is herself a monster, and it behoveth us to rid this place of such unclean creature and accursed.”  So saying the Shah commanded them do her to death; but the ministers and high officers of estate who stood before the presence fell at the royal feet and besought pardon and mercy for the Queen.  The Grand Wazir also said with folded hands, “O Shahihshah[FN#355]—­O King of the kings—­thy slave would fain represent that ’tis not in accordance with the course of justice or the laws of the land to take the life of a woman for no fault of her own.  She cannot interfere with Destiny, nor can she prevent unnatural births such as have thrice betided her; and such mishaps have oftentimes befallen other women, whose cases call for compassion and not punishment.  An the King be displeased with her then let him cease to live with her, and the loss of his gracious favour will be a penalty dire enough; and, if the Shah cannot suffer the sight of her, then let her be confined in some room apart, and let her expiate her offence by alms deed and charity until ’Izrail, the Angel of Death, separate her soul from her flesh.”  Hearing these words of counsel from his aged Councillor, Khusrau Shah recognised that it had been wrong to slay the Queen, for that she could on no wise do away with aught that was determined by Fate and Destiny; and presently he said to the Grand Wazir, “Her life is spared at thine intercession, O wise man and ware; yet will the King doom her to a weird which, haply, is hardly less hard to bear than death.  And now do thou forthright make ready, by the side of the Cathedral-mosque, a wooden cage with iron bars and lock the Queen therein as one would confine a ferocious wild beast.[FN#356] Then every Mussulman who wendeth his way to public prayers Shall spit in her face ere he set foot within the fane, and if any