Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!” She replied, “With love and good will!” It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Sultan took with him the Scholar and they fared till they reached the citadel and entered the Palace, during which time the King was pondering the matter and wondering at the affair.  And when night came he bade them get ready his daughter that the first visit might be paid to her by the bridegroom.  They did his bidding and carried the Youth in procession to her and he found the apartment bespread with carpets and perfumed with essences; the bride, however, was absent.  So he said in his mind, “She will come presently albeit now she delayeth;” and he ceased not expecting her till near midnight, whilst the father and the mother said, “Verily the young man hath married our daughter and now sleepeth with her.”  On this wise the Youth kept one reckoning and the Sultan and his Harem kept another till it was hard upon dawn—­all this and the bridegroom watched in expectation of the bride.  Now when the day brake, the mother came to visit her child expecting to see her by the side of her mate; but she could not find a trace of her, nor could she gather any clear tidings of her.  Accordingly she asked the Youth, her son-in-law, who answered that since entering the apartment he had expected his bride but she came not to him nor had he seen a sign of her.  Hereupon the Queen shrieked and rose up calling aloud upon her daughter, for she had none other child save that one.  The clamour alarmed the Sultan who asked what was to do and was informed that the Princess was missing from the Palace and had not been seen after she had entered it at eventide.  Thereupon he went to the Youth and asked him anent her, but he also told him that he had not found her when the procession led him into the bridal chamber.  Such was the case with these; but as regards the Princess, when they conducted her to the bridal room before the coming of the bridegroom, a Jinni[FN#128] of the Marids, who often visited the royal Harem, happened to be there on the marriage-night and was so captivated by the charms of the bride that he took seat in a corner, and upon her entering and before she was ware snatched her up and soared with her high in air.  And he flew with her till he reached a pleasant place of trees and rills some three months’ journey from the city, and in that shady place he set her down But he wrought her no bodily damage and every day he would bring her whatso she wanted of meat and drink and solaced her by showing her the rills and trees.  Now this Jinni had changed his shape to that of a fair youth fearing lest his proper semblance affright her, and the girl abode in that place for a space of forty days.  But