to the house and repaired to the terrace-roof, and there he raised his clothes from his sitting-place and exposed his backside stark naked to the cooling breeze; then he leant forwards propped on either elbow and, spreading his hands upon the ground, perked up[FN#586] his bottom.  His stepmother looked at him and marvelling much said in her mind, “Would Heaven I knew of this froward youth what may be his object!"[FN#587] However he never looked at her nor ever turned towards her but he abode quiet in the posture he had chosen.  She stared hard at him and at last could no longer refrain from asking him, “Wherefore dost thou on this wise?” He answered, “And why not?  I am doing that shall benefit me in the future, but what that is I will never tell thee; no, never.”  She repeated her question again and again, and at last he replied, “I do thus when ’tis summer-tide and a something of caloric entereth my belly through my backside and when ’tis winter the same cometh forth and warmeth my body; and in the dog-days and keepeth me in heats like these, fresh and comfortable."[FN#588] She asked, “An I do what thou doest, shall it be the same to me?” And he answered, “Aye.”  Herewith she came forward beside him and raised her raiment from her behind till the half of her below the waist was stark naked;—­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 how enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night as the Sovran suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was

The Eight Hundred and Thirty-third 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 grass-widow came forward beside her stepson and raised her raiment from her behind until the half of her below the waist was stark naked; and she did even as her husband’s son had done, and perked up her buttocks, leaning heavily upon her knees and elbows.  Now when she acted on this wise the youth addressed her saying, “Thou canst not do it aright.”  “How so?” “Because the wind passing in through the postern passeth out through thy portal, thy solution of continuity.”  “Then how shall I do?” “Stopper thy slit wherethrough the air passeth.”  “How shall I stopper it?” “An thou stopper it not thy toil will be in vain.”  “Dost thou know how to stopper it?” “Indeed I do!” “Then, rise up and stopper it.”  Hearing these words he arose, because indeed he greeded for her, and came up behind her as she rested upon her elbows and knees and hending in hand his prickle nailed