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When it was night, he lighted the candled and said to Zubeideh, 'The dervishes have not brought the ten thousand dinars that they promised me: but indeed they are poor men. As they were talking, the dervishes knocked at the door and she said, 'Go down and open to them. So he went down and bringing them up, said to them, 'Have you brought me the ten thousand dinars? 'We have not been able to get aught thereof as yet, answered they, 'but fear nothing: to-morrow, God willing, we will make an alchymic operation for thee.
The fear of the world to come will restrain him and he will believe that she is dead and will cause the image to be restored to its place and thank thee for what thou hast done: and so, if it please God, thou shalt be delivered from this strait. Her advice commended itself to Zubeideh, who bestowed on her a dress of honour and a sum of money, bidding her do as she had said.
Then said the Khalif, 'O Alaeddin, why hast thou absented thyself from the Divan? And he replied, 'Because of my mourning for my wife Zubeideh, O Commander of the Faithful. 'Put away grief from thee, rejoined the prince.
"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?"
It chanced, one day, that Zubeideh entered the garden and coming to the basin, gazed upon its goodliness, and the limpidity of the water and the interlacing of the trees over it pleased her. Now it was a day of exceeding heat; so she put off her clothes and entering the pool, which was not deep enough to cover her, fell to pouring the water over herself from an ewer of silver.
Then they carried them into the palace, passing through a troop of eunuchs, guardians of the harem and door-keepers, till they came to the post of the chief of the eunuchs, who started up from sleep and called out to the lady, saying, 'What is in those chests? Quoth she, 'They are full of wares for the Lady Zubeideh. 'Open them, said he, 'one by one, that I may see what is in them. 'Why wilt thou open them? asked she: but he cried out at her, saying, 'Give me no words!
On the morrow, Alaeddin mounted and riding to the court, kissed the ground before the Khalif, who rose from the throne, to greet and welcome him, and bade him take his appointed place in the Divan saying, 'O Alaeddin, thou art my guest to-night. So presently he carried him into his seraglio and calling a slave- girl named Cout el Culoub, said to her, 'Alaeddin had a wife called Zubeideh, who used to sing to him and solace him of care and trouble; but she is gone to the mercy of God the Most High, and now I desire that thou play him an air of thy rarest fashion on the lute, that he may be diverted from his grief and mourning. So she rose and made rare music; and the Khalif said to Alaeddin, 'What sayst thou of this damsel's voice? 'O Commander of the Faithful', answered he, 'Zubeideh's voice was the finer; but she is rarely skilled in touching the lute, and her playing would make a rock dance. 'Doth she please thee? asked the Khalif.
The Khalif Haroun er Reshid loved the Princess Zubeideh with an exceeding love and laid out for her a pleasaunce, in which he made a great pool and led thither water from all sides. Moreover, he set thereabout a screen of trees, which so grew and interlaced over the pool, that one could go in and wash, without being seen of any, for the thickness of the leafage.
I have brought this affliction on myself. Presently I heard the Khalif say to my mistress, 'Harkye, what is in those chests of thine ? 'Clothes for the Lady Zubeideh, answered she; and he said, 'Open them to me. When I heard this, I gave myself up for lost and said, 'By Allah, this is the last of my worldly days! and began to repeat the profession of the Faith.
So I abode there ten days, during which time I saw not my mistress nor any one save a serving-maid, who brought me the morning and evening meals. After this the Lady Zubeideh took counsel with the Khalif on the marriage of her favourite, and he gave leave and assigned her a wedding portion of ten thousand dinars.
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