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The Khalif replied, 'He is the Amir Khalid, Chief of the Police. 'O Commander of the Faithful, rejoined Aslan, 'he is no father of mine, save by right of fosterage; my father was none other than Alaeddin Abou esh Shamat. 'Then thy father was a traitor, said the Khalif. 'God forbid, O Commander of the Faithful, replied Aslan, 'that the Faithful should be a traitor!

Quoth Ed Denef, 'What ails thee, O Aslan? And he answered, 'I know now for certain that I am the son of Alaeddin Abou esh Shamat and I would have thee avenge me of my father's murderer. 'And who was thy father's murderer? asked Ed Denef. 'Ahmed Kemakim the arch- thief, replied Aslan.

They spent the night in mirth and harmony and discourse, till the morning, when the Khalif laid a hundred dinars under the prayer-carpet and taking leave of Alaeddin, went his way, he and his companions.

'I know not her length from her breadth. 'And why? asked Jaafer. So he said to him, 'O Alaeddin, whence cometh this trouble in which I see thee? Hast thou gone in to Cout el Culoub? 'O Commander of the Faithful, answered he, 'what befits the master befits not the servant.

If the Cadi say to thee, "Then pay down the dowry," do thou reply, "I am straitened at this present;" whereupon he and the Assessors will deal friendly with thee and allow thee time to pay. Whilst they were talking, the Cadi's officer knocked at the door; so Alaeddin went down and the man said to him, 'The Cadi cites thee to answer thy father-in-law's summons. Alaeddin gave him five dinars and said to him, 'O serjeant, by what code am I bound to marry at night and divorce next morning? 'By none of ours, answered the serjeant; 'and if thou be ignorant of the law, I will act as thine advocate. Then they went to the court and the Cadi said to Alaeddin, 'Why dost thou not divorce the woman and take what falls to thee by the contract? With this he went up to the Cadi and kissing his hand, put in it fifty dinars and said, 'O our lord the Cadi, by what code is it right that I should marry at night and divorce in the morning in my own despite? 'Divorce on compulsion, replied the Cadi, 'is sanctioned by no school of the Muslims. Then said the lady's father, 'If thou wilt not divorce, pay me the ten thousand dinars, her dowry. Quoth Alaeddin, 'Give me three days' time. But the Cadi said, 'Three days is not enough; he shall give thee ten. So they agreed to this and bound him to pay the dowry or divorce after ten days.

"O Zubeideh," answered she, "know that I am predestined to marry thy husband Alaeddin Abou esh Shamat: wilt thou then accept of me to fellow-wife, a night for me and a night for thee?" "I hear and obey, O my lady," rejoined I; "but where is my husband?"

Alaeddin knocked at the door, and his mother said, 'Who is at the door, now that we have lost our beloved? 'It is I, Alaeddin, replied he; whereupon they came down and embraced him.

What ails thee? And he answered, 'Buy me Jessamine, O my mother. 'When the flower-seller passes, said she, 'I will buy thee a basketful of jessamine. Quoth he, 'It is not the jessamine one smells I want, but a slave girl named Jessamine, whom my father would not buy for me. So she said to her husband, 'Why didst thou not buy him the girl? And he replied, 'What is fit for the master is not fit for the servant, and I have no power to take her; for no less a man bought her than Alaeddin, Chief of the Sixty. Then the youth's weakness redoubled upon him, till he could neither sleep nor eat, and his mother bound her head with the fillets of mourning.

Meanwhile, Ahmed ed Denef, Alaeddin's adopted father, was sitting, making merry with his followers in a garden, when in came one of the water-carriers of the Divan and kissing Ahmed's hand, said to him, 'O Captain, thou sittest at thine ease, with water running at thy feet, and knowest not what has happened. 'What is to do? asked Ahmed, and the other answered, 'They have gone down with thine adopted son, Alaeddin, to the gallows. 'O Hassan Shouman, said Ahmed, 'What sayst thou of this? 'Assuredly, Alaeddin is innocent' replied his lieutenant; 'and this is some enemy's practice against him. Quoth Ahmed, 'What counsellest thou? And Hassan said, 'God willing, we must rescue him. Then he went to the prison and said to the gaoler, 'Give us some one deserving of death. So he gave him one that was likest to Alaeddin and they covered his head and carried him to the place of execution between Ahmed ed Denef and Ali ez Zibec of Cairo.

One day, the slave, after bringing him the tray of food, went away and forgot to shut the trap-door after him: so Alaeddin came forth and went in to his mother, with whom was a company of women of rank. How canst thou let this strange slave in upon us?