infant away sent it by a slave-girl who exposed it at the gate of the royal garden. Then they said and spread abroad, "Verily, the Sultan's wife hath been delivered of a doglet," and when the tidings came to Abu Niyyah's ears he exclaimed, "Verily this also is a creation of Allah Almighty's:" so they clothed the pup and tended it with all care. Anon the wife became pregnant a second time and when her days were fulfilled she bare a second babe which was the fairest of its time and the sisters did with it as they had done with the first and taking the infant they exposed him at the door of the garden. Then they brought to the mother another dog-pup in lieu of her babe, saying, "Verily the Queen hath been delivered a second time of a doglet." Now in this wise it fared with them: but as regards the two infants which were cast away at the garden gate the first was taken up by the Gardener whose wife, by decree of the Decreer, had become a mother on that very same night; so the man carried away the infant he found exposed and brought the foundling home and the woman fell to suckling it. After the third year the Gardener went forth one day of the days and happening upon the second infant in similar case he bore it also back to his wife who began to suckle it and wash it and tend it and nurse it, till the twain grew up and entered into their third and fourth years. The Sultan had in the meantime been keeping the two pups which he deemed to have been brought forth by his wife until the Queen became in the family-way for the third time. Hereupon the Sultan said, "By Allah, 'tis not possible but that I be present at and witness her accouchement;" and the while she was bringing forth he sat beside her. So she was delivered of a girl-child, in whom the father rejoiced with great joy and bade bring for her wet- nurses who suckled her for two years until the milk time was past.[FN#415] This girl grew up till she reached the age of four years and she could distinguish between her mother and her father who, whenever he went to the royal garden would take her with him. But when she beheld the Gardener's two boys she became familiar with them and would play with them; and, as each day ended, her father would carry her away from the children and lead her home, and this parting was grievous to her and she wept right sore. Hereat the Sultan would take also the boys with her until sleep prevailed over her, after which he would send the twain back to their sire the Gardener. But Abu Niyyah the Sultan would ever wonder at the boys and would exclaim, "Praise be to Allah, how beautiful are these dark-skinned children!" This endured until one day of the days when the King entered into the garden and there found that the two beautiful boys[FN#416] had taken some clay and were working it into the figures of horses and saddles and weapons of war and were opening the ground and making a water-leat;[FN#417] so the Sultan wondered thereat time after