and the Prince of True Believers rejoined, “We heard that the Kazi bare a babe and thou art that same Kazi now habited in Fakir’s habit.  But who may be this woman thou seest?” He made answer “I wot not;” but the dame exclaimed, “Why this denial, O thou who fearest Allah so little?  I conjure thee by the life of the King to recount in his presence all that betided thee.”  He could deny it no longer so he told his tale before the Caliph, who laughed at him aloud; and at each adventure the King cried out, “Allah spare thee and thy child, O Kazi!” Thereupon the Judge explained saying, “Pardon, O King of the Age, I merit even more than what hath betided me.”—­And Shahrazad was surprised by 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 Ninety-second 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 quoth the Kazi to the King, “I deserve even more than what hath betided me for my deeds were unrighteous, O Ruler of the Time.  But now the twain of us be present between thy hands; so do thou, of thy generous grace and the perfection of thy beneficence, deign reconcile me unto my wife and from this moment forwards I repent before the face of Allah nor will I ever return to the condition I was in of niggardise and greed of gain.  But ’tis for her to decide and on whatever wise she direct me to act, therein will I not gainsay her; and do thou vouchsafe to me the further favour of restoring me to the office I whilome held.”  When the Prince of True Believers, Harun al-Rashid, heard the Kazi’s words he turned to the Judge’s wife and said, “Thou also hast heard what thy mate hath averred:  so do thou become to him what thou wast before and thou hast command over all which thy husband requireth.”  She replied, “O King of the Age, even as thou hast the advantage of knowing, verily the Heavens and the son of Adam change not; for that man’s nature is never altered except with his existence nor doth it depart from him save when his life departeth.  However, an he speak the truth let him bind himself by a deed documented under thy personal inspection and thine own seal; so that if he break his covenant the case may be committed to thee.”  The Caliph rejoined,” Sooth thou sayest that the nature of Adam’s son is allied to his existence;” but the Kazi exclaimed, “O our lord the Sultan, bid write for me the