saw her sire in high dudgeon and the naked glaive in his grip, she was freed from her fear of the past, so she raised her head and said to him, “O my beloved father, be not wroth with me nor be hasty in thy hot passion for I am excusable in what thou shalt see of my case.  So do thou lend an ear to what occurred to me and well I wot that after hearing my account of what befel to me during these two last nights, thou wilt pardon me and thy Highness will be softened to pitying me even as I claim of thee affection for thy child.”  Then the Princess informed her father of all that had betided her adding, “O my sire, an thou believe me not, ask my bridegroom and he will recount to thy Highness the whole adventure, nor did I know either what they would do with him when they bore him away from my side or where they would place him.”—­ And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day, and ceased to say her permitted say.

      When it was the Five Hundred and Fifty-fifth Night,

Quoth Dunyazad, “O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy do tell us some of thy pleasant tales,” whereupon Shahrazad replied, “With love and good will.”—­It hath reached me, O King of the Age, that when the Sultan heard his daughter’s words, he was saddened and his eyes brimmed with tears, then he sheathed his sabre and kissed her saying, “O my daughter wherefore[FN#151] didst thou not tell me what happened on the past night that I might have guarded thee from this torture and terror which visited thee a second time?  But now ’tis no matter.  Rise and cast out all such care and to-night I will set a watch to ward thee nor shall any mishap again make thee miserable.”  Then the Sultan returned to his palace and straightway bade summon the Grand Wazir and asked him, as he stood before him in his service, “O Wazir how dost thou look upon this matter?  Haply thy son hath informed thee of what occurred to him and to my daughter.”  The Minister replied, “O King of the Age, I have not seen my son or yesterday or to-day.”  Hereat the Sultan told him all that had afflicted the Princess, adding, " ’tis my desire that thou at once seek tidings of thy son concerning the facts of the case:  peradventure of her fear my daughter may not be fully aware of what really befel her; withal I hold all her words to be truthful.”  So the Grand Wazir arose and, going forth, bade summon his son and asked him anent all his lord had told him whether it be true or untrue.  The youth replied, “O my father the Wazir, Heaven forbid that the Lady Badr al-Budur speak falsely:  indeed all she said was sooth and these two nights proved to us the evillest of our nights instead of being nights of pleasure and marriage-joys.  But what befel me was the greater evil because, instead of sleeping abed with my bride, I lay in the wardrobe, a black hole, frightful, noisome of stench, truly damnable; and my ribs were bursten with cold.”  In fine the young man told his father the whole tale, adding as he ended it, “O dear father mine, I implore thee to speak with the Sultan that he may set me free from this marriage.  Yes, indeed ’tis a high honour for me to be the Sultan’s son-in-law and especially the love of the Princess hath gotten hold of my vitals; but I have no strength left to endure a single night like unto these two last.”—­And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.