and children, and tried pitifully to avert his fate. The genius,
with his raised scimitar, waited till he had finished, but was
not in the least touched.

Scheherazade, at this point, seeing that it was day, and knowing
that the Sultan always rose very early to attend the council,
stopped speaking.

"Indeed, sister," said Dinarzade, "this is a wonderful story."

"The rest is still more wonderful," replied Scheherazade, "and you
would say so, if the sultan would allow me to live another day,
and would give me leave to tell it to you the next night."

Schahriar, who had been listening to Scheherazade with pleasure,
said to himself, "I will wait till to-morrow; I can always have her
killed when I have heard the end of her story."

All this time the grand-vizir was in a terrible state of anxiety.
But he was much delighted when he saw the Sultan enter the council-chamber
without giving the terrible command that he was expecting.

The next morning, before the day broke, Dinarzade said to her sister,
"Dear sister, if you are awake I pray you to go on with your story."

The Sultan did not wait for Scheherazade to ask his leave.
"Finish," said he, "the story of the genius and the merchant.
I am curious to hear the end."

So Scheherazade went on with the story. This happened every morning.