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 after the King had inspected the work of his jewellers and goldsmiths, they informed him how all the gems stored in the Lesser Treasury had been brought to them and used by them but that the whole had proved insufficient; wherefor he bade open the Greater Treasury and gave the workmen all they wanted of him.  Moreover he allowed them, an it sufficed not, to take the jewels wherewith Alaeddin had gifted him.  They carried off the whole and pushed on their labours but they found the gems fail them, albeit had they not yet finished half the part wanting to the Kiosque-window.  Herewith the King commended them to seize all the precious stones owned by the Wazirs and Grandees of the realm; but, although they did his bidding, the supply still fell short of their requirements.  Next morning Alaeddin arose to look at the jeweller’s work and remarked that they had not finished a moiety of what was wanting to the Kiosque-window:  so he at once ordered them to undo all they had done and restore the jewels to their owners.  Accordingly, they pulled out the precious stones and sent the Sultan’s to the Sultan and the Wazirs’ to the Wazirs.  Then the jewellers went to the King and told him of what Alaeddin had bidden; so he asked them, “What said he to you, and what was his reason and wherefore was he not content that the window be finished and why did he undo the work ye wrought?” They answered, “O our lord, we know not at all, but he bade us deface whatso we had done.”  Hereupon the Sultan at once called for his horse, and mounting, took the way pavilion-wards, when Alaeddin, after dismissing the goldsmiths and jewellers had retired into his closet and had rubbed the Lamp.  Hereat straightway its Servitor appeared to him and said, “Ask whatso thou wantest:  thy Slave is between thy hands;” and said Alaeddin, " ’tis my desire that thou finish the window which was left unfinished.”  The Marid replied, “On my head be it and also upon mine eyes!” then he vanished and after a little while returned saying, “O my lord, verily that thou commandedst me do is completed.”  So Alaeddin went upstairs to the Kiosque and found the whole window in wholly finished state; and, whilst he was still considering it, behold, a castrato came in to him and said, “O my lord, the Sultan hath ridden forth to visit thee and is passing through the pavilion-gate.”  So Alaeddin at once went down and received his father-in-law.  And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

     When it was the Five Hundred and Seventy-second Night,