Commander of the faithful, says she, the relation I am about to give to your majesty is one of the strangest that ever was heard. The two black bitches and myself are sisters by the same father and mother; and I shall acquaint you by what strange accident they came to be metamorphosed. The two ladies that live with me, and are now here, are also my sisters by the father's side, but by another mother; she that has the scars on her breast is Amine, the other is Safie, and mine is Zobeide. After our father's death, the estate that he left us was equally divided among us; and so soon as those two sisters received their portions, they went from me to live with their mother. My other two sisters and myself staid with our mother, who was then alive, and, when she died, left each of us a thousand sequins. As soon as we received our portions, the two elder (for I am the youngest) being married, followed their husbands, and left me alone. Some time after, my eldest sister's husband sold all that he had; and with that money, and my sister's portion, they both went into Africa, where her husband, by riotous living and debauchery, spent all; when, finding himself reduced to poverty, he found a pretext for divorcing my sister, and put her away. She returned to this city, and having suffered incredible hardships by the way, came to me in so lamentable a condition, as would have moved the hardest heart to compassion. I received her with all the tenderness she could expect; and inquiring into the cause of her sad condition, she told me, with tears, how inhumanly her husband had dealt by her. I was so much concerned at her misfortune, that tears flowed from my eyes: I put her into a bagnio, and clothed her with my own apparel, and spoke to her thus: Sister, you are the elder, and I esteem you as my mother: During your absence, God has blessed the portion that fell to my share, and the employment I follow to feed and bring up silk-worms. Assure yourself that there is nothing I have but what is at your service and as much at your disposal as my own.