I should have been the most ungrateful wretch, and the most perfidious of all mankind, if I had not shown myself as faithful to the princess as she was to me, who had been the cause of her misfortunes; therefore I answered the genie, How should I know her, when I never saw her till now? --If it be so, said he, take the scimitar, and cut off her head: on this condition I will set thee at liberty, for then I shall be convinced that thou didst never see her till this very moment, as thou sayest. --With all my heart, replied I, and took the scimitar in my hand. But sir, said Scheherazade, it is day, and I ought not to abuse your majesty’s patience. --These are wonderful events, said the sultan to himself. We shall know tomorrow if the prince was so cruel as to pay obedience to the genie’s command. FORTY-SIXTH NIGHT. When the night was near at an end, Dinarzade said to the sultaness, Sister, if you be not asleep, I would pray you to continue the story which you could not finish yesterday. --I will, says Scheherazade, and without loss of time you shall understand that the second calender went on thus: Do not think, madam, that I drew near to the fair princess of the isle of Ebene to be the executioner of the genie’s barbarity. I did it only to demonstrate by my behaviour, as much as possible, that as she had shown her resolution to sacrifice her life for my sake, I would not refuse to sacrifice mine for her’s. The princess, notwithstanding her pain and suffering, understood my meaning; which she signified by an obliging look, and made me understand her willingness to die for me; and that she was satisfied to see how willing I was also to die for her. --Upon this, I stepped back and threw the scimitar on the ground. I shall forever, said I to the genie, be hateful to all mankind, should I be so base as to murder, I do not only say a person whom I do not know, but a lady like this, who is ready to give up the ghost: do with me what you please, since I am in your power: I cannot obey your barbarous commands.