dressing herself accompanied them to the palace. Now when the King’s daughter saw her, she sprang to her feet in honour, and the old woman said, “Allah! Allah! O King’s daughter, say me, whose was the fault, mine or thine?” Hayat al-Nufus replied, “The fault was mine, and ’tis thine to pardon and forgive. By Allah, O my nurse, thy rank is high with me and thou hast over me the right of fosterage; but thou knowest that Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) hath allotted to His creatures four things, disposition, life, daily bread and death; nor is it in man’s power to avert that which is decreed. Verily, I was beside myself and could not recover my senses; but, O my nurse, I repent of what deed I did.” With this, the crone’s anger ceased from her and she rose and kissed the ground before the Princess, who called for a costly robe of honour and threw it over her, whereat she rejoiced with exceeding joy in the presence of the Princess’s slaves and women. When all ended thus happily, Hayat al-Nufus said to the old woman, “O my nurse, how go the fruits and growths of our garth?”; and she replied, “O my lady, I see excellent fruits in the town; but I will enquire of this matter and return thee an answer this very day.” Then she withdrew, honoured with all honour and betook herself to Ardashir, who received her with open arms and embraced her and rejoiced in her coming, for that he had expected her long and longingly. She told him all that had passed between herself and the Princess and how her mistress was minded to go down into the garden on such a day.——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say. When it was the Seven Hundred and Twenty-eighth Night,