Then said she:--I have heard, O auspicious King, that Hasan al- Habbal thus pursued his tale:--Now so it happened that, as we sat at rest within that summer house, two sons of mine, whom I had sent together with their governor to my country place for change of water and air,[FN#287] were roaming about the garden seeking birds' nests. Presently they came across a big one upon the top most boughs and tried to swarm up the trunk and carry it off, but by reason of their lack of strength and little practice they durst not venture so high; whereupon they bade a slave boy who ever attended on them, climb the tree. He did their bidding, but when looking into the nest he was amazed with exceeding amazement to see it mainly made of an old turband. So he brought down the stuff and handed it to the lads. My eldest son took it from his hands and carried it to the arbour for me to see, and set it at my feet saying in high glee, "O my father, look here; this nest is made of cloth." Sa'd and Sa'di wondered with all wonderment at the sight and the marvel grew the greater when I, after considering it closely, recognised it for the very turband whereon the kite had swooped and which had been borne off by the bird. Then quoth I to my two friends "Examine well this turband and certify yourselves that it is the selfsame one worn upon my head when first ye honoured me with your presence." Quoth Sa'd, "I know it not," and quoth Sa'di, "An thou find within it the hundred and ninety gold pieces, then shalt thou be assured that is thy turband in very sooth." I said, "O my lord, this is, well I wot, that very turband." And as I held it in my hand, I found it heavy of weight, and opening out the folds felt somewhat tied up in one of the corners of the cloth;[FN#288] so I unrolled the swathes when lo and behold! I came upon the purse of gold pieces. Hereat, shewing it to Sa'di, I cried, "Canst thou not recognise this purse?" and he replied, "'Tis in truth the very purse of Ashrafis which I gave thee when first we met." Then I opened the mouth and, pouring out the gold in one heap upon the carpet, bade him count his money; and he turned it over coin by coin and made the sum there of one hundred and ninety Ashrafis. Hereat waxing sore ashamed and confounded, he exclaimed, "Now do I believe thy words: nevertheless must thou admit that thou hast earned one half of this thy prodigious wealth with the two hundred gold pieces I gave thee after our second visit, and the other half by means of the mite thou gottest from Sa'd." To this I made no answer, but my friends ceased not to dispute upon the matter. We then sat down to meat and drink, and when we had eaten our sufficiency, I and my two friends went to sleep in the cool arbour; after which when the sun was well nigh set we mounted and rode off to Baghdad leaving the servants to follow. However, arrived at the city we found all the shops shut and nowhere could we get grain and forage for the horses, and I sent off two slave