its thoroughfares the day before yesterday, I saw my brother's
son Alaeddin playing with the boys; and by Allah the Great, O
wife of my brother, when I saw him, my heart crave to him, for
that blood yearneth unto blood, and my soul foreboded me he was
my brother's son. At his sight I forgot all my toils and troubles
and was like to fly for joy; then, when he told me that my late
brother had departed to the mercy of God the Most High, I swooned
away for stress of grief and chagrin; and most like he hath told
thee of that which overcame me. [FN#180] But I comforted myself
somewhat with Alaeddin, who standeth in stead of [FN#181] the
departed, for that whoso leaveth [a successor] [FN#182] dieth
not."

Then, [FN#183] when he saw her weeping at this speech, he turned
to Alaeddin, by way of making her forget the mention of her
husband and feigning to comfort her, so he might the better
accomplish his device upon her, and said to him, "O my son
Alaeddin, what hast thou learned of crafts and what is thy
business? Hast thou learned thee a trade whereby thou mayst live,
thou and thy mother?" At this Alaeddin was confounded and abashed
and hung down his head, bowing it to the ground, whilst his
mother said to the Maugrabin, "How? By Allah, he knoweth nought
at all! So graceless a lad I never saw. All day long he goeth
about with the vagabond boys of the quarter like himself; nay,
his father, woe is me, died not but of his chagrin concerning
him; and now, as for me, my case is woeful. I spin cotton and
toil night and day, to earn two cakes of bread, that we may eat
them together. This, then, is his condition, O my brother-in-law,
and by thy life, he cometh not in to me save at eating-times, and
I am thinking to bolt the door of my house and not open to him