The Four Hundred and Sixty-fifth Night,

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 Jew fell to hawking about his minerals and crying them for sale beside the garden-palace and the Sultan’s daughter hearing him exclaimed, “O Handmaid, bring me that which is for sale with this Jew.”  So the girl went down and said to the man, “What hast thou by thee?” and said the other, “Precious stones.”  Quoth she, “Wilt thou sell them for gold?” and quoth he, “No, O my lady, I will sell them for nothing save for rings which must be old."[FN#382] Accordingly she returned and herewith acquainted her lady who said, “By Allah, my Lord hath in his pencase[FN#383] an old worn-out ring, so do thou go and bring it to me while he sleepeth.”  But she knew not what was hidden for her in the Secret Purpose, nor that which was fated to be her Fate.  So presently she brought out of the pencase the bezel-ring afore-mentioned and gave it to the handmaid who took it and faring outside the house handed it to the Jew, and he received it with extreme joy and in turn presented to her the tray with all thereon.  Then he went forth the city and set out on a voyage to the Seven Islands which are not far from the earth-surrounding Ocean;[FN#384] and when he arrived thither he landed upon a sea-holm and travelled to the middle-most thereof.  Anon he took seat, and presently brought out the signet-ring and rubbed it, when the slave appeared and cried, “Here I stand and between thy hands, what is it thou needest of me?” “I require of thee,” quoth the Jew, “to transport hither the bower of the Sultan’s daughter and to restore the ash-heap to the stead it was in whilome under the lattice of the King’s Palace.”  Now ere night had passed away both Princess and Palace were transported to the middlemost of the island; and when the Jew beheld her his heart flamed high for the excess of her beauty and loveliness.  So he entered her bower and fell to conversing with her, but she would return to him no reply and, when he would have approached her, she started away in disgust.  Hereupon, seeing no signs of conquest, the Jew said in his mind, “Let her wax accustomed to me and she will be satisfied,” and on this wise he continued to solace her heart.  Now as regards the son of the Fisherman his sleep had extended deep into the forenoon and when the sun burnt upon his back he arose and found himself lying on the ash-heap below the Palace, so he said to himself, “Up and away, otherwise the Sultan will look out of the window and will behold this mound returned to its place as it was before, and he will order thy neck to be smitten.”  So he hurried him forth hardly believing in his escape, and he ceased not hastening