He spent the two first days in mourning with his family, who sat around him weeping and complaining of the caliph’s cruelty. The third day being come, he prepared himself to die with courage, as an honest minister, and one that had nothing to trouble his conscience; he sent for notaries and witnesses, who signed the last will he made in their presence. After which, he took leave of his wife and children, and bid them the last farewell. All his family were drowned in tears, so that there never was a more sorrowful spectacle. At last, the messenger came from the caliph to tell him that he was out of all patience, haring heard nothing from him, nor concerning the negro slave which he had commanded him to search for; I am therefore ordered, said he, to bring you before his throne. The afflicted vizier made ready to follow the messenger; but as he was going out, they brought him his youngest daughter, about five or six years of age. The nurses that attended her, presented her to her father to receive his last blessing. As he had a particular love for that child, he prayed the messenger to give him leave to stop for a moment; and taking his daughter in his arms, he kissed her several times. As he kissed her, he perceived she had somewhat in her bosom that looked bulky, and had a sweet scent. My dear little one, said he, what hast thou in thy bosom? My dear father, said she, it is an apple, upon which is written the name of our lord and master, the caliph; our slave Rihan [56] sold it me for two sequins. At these words apple and slave, the grand vizier cried out with surprise, intermixed with joy, and putting his hand into the child’s bosom, pulled out the apple. He caused the slave, who was not far off, to be brought immediately; and when he came, Rascal, said he, where hadst thou this apple? My lord, said the slave, I swear to you, that I neither stole it in your house, nor out of the commander of the faithful’s garden, but the other day, as I was going along a street where three or four small children were at play, one of them having it in his hand, I snatched it from him, and carried it away. The child ran after me, telling me it was none of his own, but belonged to his mother, who was sick, and that his father, to save her longing, had made a long journey, and brought home three apples, whereof this was one, which he had taken from his mother, without her knowledge. He said what he could to make me give it him back, but I would not; and so I brought it home, and sold it for two sequins to the little lady, your daughter; and this is the whole truth of the matter. Giafar could not enough admire, how the roguery of a slave had been the cause of an innocent woman’s death, and almost of his own. He carried the slave along with him; and when he came before the caliph, he gave that prince an exact account of all that the slave had told him, and the chance that had brought him to the discovery of his crime.