The vizier Giafar having made an end of the story of Bedreddin Hassan, told the Caliph Haroun Alraschid, that this was what he had to relate to his majesty. The caliph found the story so surprising, that, without further hesitation, he granted his slave Rihan's pardon, and to condole the young man for the grief of having unhappily deprived himself of a woman whom he loved so tenderly, he married him to one of his slaves, bestowed liberal gifts upon him, and entertained him until he died. But, sir, said Scheherazade, observing that day began to appear, though the story I have how told you be agreeable, I have one that is even much more so. If your majesty will please to hear it the next night, I am certain you will be of the same mind. Schahriar rose without giving any answer, and was in a quandary what to do. The good sultaness, said he within himself, tells very long stories; and when once she begins one, there is no refusing to hear it out. I cannot tell whether I shall put her to death to-day or not. No, surely not, I will do nothing rashly: the story she promises is perhaps more diverting than those she has yet told, and I will not deprive myself of the pleasure of hearing it. Dinarzade did not fail to awake the sultaness of the Indies, who thus commenced her story. THE STORY OF THE LITTLE HUNCH-BACK. There was in former times at Casgar, upon the utmost borders of Tartary, a tailor who had a pretty wife, whom he ardently loved, and by whom he was loved in return. One day, as he sat at work, a little hunch-back my lord came and sat down at the shop-door, began singing, at same time playing upon a tabor. The tailor was pleased to hear him, and had a strong mind to take him to his house to make his wife merry: This little fellow, said he to his wife, will divert us both very agreeably. In fine, he invited my lord, who readily accepted of the invitation; the tailor then shut up his shop, and conducted him in. The little gentleman being arrived at the tailor's house, his wife covered the table, and they sat down to sup on a good large dish of fish; but as they ate heartily, the little crooked gentleman unluckily swallowed a large bone, of which he died in a few minutes, notwithstanding all the tailor and his wife could do to prevent it. Both were mightily frightened at the accident, especially as it happened in their house; and there was reason to fear, that if the justiciary magistrates should hear of it, they would be punished as assassins. The husband, however, found an expedient to get rid of the corpse: recollecting that there was a Jewish doctor who lived just by, he formed a project, to execute which, his wife and he took the corpse, the one by the feet and the other by the head, and carried it to the physician's house. They knocked at the door, from which ascended a steep pair of stairs to his chamber. As soon as they bad knocked, the servant-maid came down without any light; and, opening the door, asked what