were at play. One of them raised her head to him and cried out
for joy saying, "By Allah, here is a son of Adam, and methinks
'tis he whom Bahram the Magian brought hither this year!" So
Hasan hearing her words cast himself at their feet and wept with
sore weeping and said, "Yes, O my ladies, by Allah, I am indeed
that unhappy." Then said the younger damsel to her elder sister,
"Bear witness against me,[FN#36] O my sister, that this is my
brother by covenant of Allah and that I will die for his death
and live for his life and joy for his joy and mourn for his
mourning." So saying, she rose and embraced him and kissed him
and presently taking him by the hand and her sister with her, led
him into the palace, where she did off his ragged clothes and
brought him a suit of King's raiment wherewith she arrayed him.
Moreover, she made ready all manner viands[FN#37] and set them
before him, and sat and ate with him, she and her sister. Then
said they to him, "Tell us thy tale with yonder dog, the wicked,
the wizard, from the time of thy falling into his hands to that
of thy freeing thee from him; and after we will tell thee all
that hath passed between us and him, so thou mayst be on thy
guard against him an thou see him again." Hearing these words and
finding himself thus kindly received, Hasan took heart of grace
and reason returned to him and he related to them all that had
befallen him with the Magian from first to last. Then they
asked, "Didst thou ask him of this palace?"; and he answered,
"Yes, but he said, 'Name it not to me; for it belongeth to Ghuls
and Satans.'" At this, the two damsels waxed wroth with exceeding
wrath and said, "Did that miscreant style us Ghuls and Satans?"
And Hasan answered, "Yes." Cried the younger sister, "By Allah, I
will assuredly do him die with the foulest death and make him to
lack the wind of the world!" Quoth Hasan, "And how wilt thou get