The next day, as she contrived every means to please me, she brought in, at dinner, a bottle of old wine, the most excellent that ever was tasted; and out of complaisance, she drank some part of it with me. When my head grew hot with the agreeable liquor, Fair princess, said I, you have been too long thus buried alive: follow me, and enjoy the real day, from which you have been deprived so many years, and abandon this false light that you have here. --Prince, replied she, with a smile, leave this discourse; if you out of ten days will grant me nine, and resign the last to the genie, the fairest day that ever was would be nothing in my esteem. --Princess, said I, it is the fear of the genie that makes you speak thus; for my part, I value him so little, that I will break in pieces his talisman, with the conjuration that is written about it. Let him come, I will expect him; and how brave or redoubtable soever he be, I will make him feel the weight of my arm: I swear solemnly that I will extirpate all the genies in the world, and him first. The princess, who knew the consequence, conjured me not to touch the talisman; for that would be a means, said she, to rum both you and me: I know what belongs to genies better than you. The fumes of the wine did not suffer me to hearken to her reasons; but I gave the talisman a kick with my foot, and broke it in several pieces. At these words Scheherazade perceiving day, grew silent, and the sultan got up, not doubting but the breaking of the talisman had some remarkable event, and therefore resolved to hear that story to the end. FORTY-FOURTH NIGHT. Dinarzade being awaked somewhat before day, said to the sultaness, Sister, if you are not asleep, I pray you acquaint us with what happened in the subterranean palace after the prince had broken the talisman. --I am just going to relate it, said Scheherazade. Upon which, resuming her narrative, she continued her discourse thus, in the person of the second calender. The talisman was no sooner broken, but the palace began to shake, and was ready to fall, with a hideous noise like thunder, accompanied with flashes of lightning, and a great darkness. This terrible noise in a moment dispelled the fumes of my wine, and made me sensible, but too late, of the folly I had committed. Princess, cried I, what means all this? She answered in a fright, and without any concern for her own misfortune, Alas! you are undone, if you do not escape presently.