four days till they reached the city and he entered his citadel-palace.  But every time and every hour he was engrossed in pondering the affair of the three Princesses and kept saying, “Would heaven I wot are they drowned or did they escape the sea; and, if they were saved, Oh, that I knew whether they were scattered or abode in company one with other and whatever else may have betided them!” And he ceased not brooding over the issue of things and kept addressing himself in speech; and neither meat was pleasant to him nor drink.  Such were his case and adventure; but as regards the youngest sister whenas she was met by the Knight and seated upon the crupper of his steed, he ceased not riding with her till he reached his city and went into his citadel-palace.  Now the Knight was the son of a Sultan who had lately deceased, but a usurper had seized the reins of rule in his stead and Time had proved a tyrant to the youth, who had therefore addicted himself to hunting and sporting.  Now by the decree of the Decreer he had ridden forth to the chase where he met the Princess and took her up behind him, and at the end of the ride, when he returned to his mother, he was becharmed by her charms; so he gave her in charge to his parent and honoured her with the highmost possible honour and felt for her a growing fondness even as felt she for him.  And when the girl had tarried with them a month full-told she increased in beauty and loveliness and symmetrical stature and perfect grace; then, the heart of the youth was fulfilled with love of her and on like wise was the soul of the damsel who, in her new affection, forgot her mother and her sisters.  But from the moment that maiden entered his Palace the fortunes of the young Knight amended and the world waxed propitious to him nor less did the hearts of the lieges incline to him; so they held a meeting and said, “There shall be over us no Sovran and no Sultan save the son of our late King; and he who at this present ruleth us hath neither great wealth nor just claim to the sovereignty.”  Now all this benefit which accrued to the young King was by the auspicious coming of the Princess.  Presently the case was agreed upon by all the citizens of the capital that on the morning of the next day they would make him ruler and depose the usurper.—­And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.  Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was

The Three Hundred and Seventy-third Night,