But, sir, said Scheherazade, having told you what happened to the fisherman, I must acquaint you next with what befel the sultan’s cook, whom we shall find in great perplexity. As soon as she had gutted the fish, she put them upon the fire in a frying pan, with oil, and when she thought them fried enough on one side, she turned them upon the other; but, O, monstrous prodigy! scarcely were they turned, when the wall of the kitchen divided, and a young lady of wonderful beauty entered from the opening. She was clad in flowered satin, after the Egyptian manner, with pendants in her ears, a necklace of large pearls, and bracelets of gold set with rubies, with a rod in her hand. She moved towards the frying-pan, to the great amazement of the cook, who continued fixed by the sight, and striking one of the fish with the end of the rod, said, “Fish, fish, are you in duty?” The fish having answered nothing, she repeated these words, and then the four fish lifted up their heads, and replied, “Yes, yes: if you reckon, we reckon; if you pay your debts, we pay ours; if you fly, we overcome, and are content.” As soon as they had finished these words, the lady overturned the frying-pan, and entered again into the open part of the wall, which shut immediately, and became as it was before. The cook maid was mightily frightened at this, and coming a little to herself, went to take up the fishes that had fallen on the hearth, but found them blacker than coal, and not fit to be carried to the sultan. This grievously troubled her, and she fell to weeping most bitterly. Alas! said she, what will become of me! If I tell the sultan what I have seen, I am sure he will not believe me, but will be enraged against me. While she was thus bewailing herself, the grand vizier entered, and asked her if the fish were ready? She told him all that had occurred, which we may easily imagine astonished him; but without speaking a word of it to the sultan, he invented an excuse that satisfied him, and sending immediately for the fisherman, bid him bring four more such fish, for a misfortune had befallen the others, so that they are not fit to be carried to the sultan. The fisherman, without saying any thing of what the genie had told him, in order to excuse himself from bringing them that day, told the vizier he had a great way to go for them, but would certainly bring them on the morrow.