on the cheeks and mouth ever believing him to be a male masculant, till her hot desire for him was quenched.[FN#187] Then she gave to him two golden dinars and said to him, “O my lord and coolth of my eyes, do thou come hither every day that we may take our pleasure, I and thou.”  He said, “To hear is to obey,” and went forth from her hardly believing in his safety, for he had learnt that she was the Sultan’s daughter, and he walked till he reached the shop of his employer to whom he gave the twenty dinars.  Now when the baker saw the gold, affright and terror entered his heart and he asked his servant whence the money came; and, when told of the adventure, his horror and dismay increased and he said to himself, “An this case of ours continue, either the Sultan will hear that this youth practiseth upon his daughter, or she will prove in the family way and ’twill end in our deaths and the ruin of our country.  The lad must quit this evil path.”  Thereupon quoth he to the Youth, “From this time forwards do thou cease faring forth thereto,” whereat quoth the other, “I may not prevent myself from going and I dread death an I go not.”  So the man cried, “Do whatso may seem good to thee.”  Accordingly, the Princess in male attire fell to going every morning and meeting the Sultan’s daughter, till one day of the days she went in and the twain sat down and laughed and enjoyed themselves, when lo and behold! the King entered.  And as soon as he espied the youth and saw him seated beside his daughter, he commanded him be arrested and they arrested him;—­And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say.  Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how 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-eighth 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 when the Sultan entered and saw the youth sitting beside his daughter he commanded him to be arrested and they arrested him; they also seized the Princess and bound her forearms to her sides with straitest bonds.  Then the King summoned the Linkman and bade him smite off both their heads:  so he took them and went down with them to the place of execution.  But when the tidings reached the Kunafani he shut up shop without stay and delay and fled.  Presently the Sultan said in his mind, “Fain would I question the Youth touching his object in entering hither, and ask him who conducted him to my daughter and how he won access to her.”