Alla ad Deen's mother came to the foot of the throne, prostrated
herself as usual, and when she rose, the sultan asked her what
she would have. Sir," said she, "I come to represent to your
majesty, in the name of my son Alla ad Deen, that the three
months, at the end of which you ordered me to come again, are
expired; and to beg you to remember your promise."

The sultan, when he had fixed a time to answer the request of
this good woman, little thought of hearing any more of a
marriage, which he imagined must be very disagreeable to the
princess, when he considered the meanness and poverty of her
dress and appearance; but this summons for him to fulfill his
promise was somewhat embarrassing; he declined giving an answer
till he had consulted his vizier, and signified to trim the
little inclination he had to conclude a match for his daughter
with a stranger, whose rank he supposed to be very mean.

The grand vizier freely told the sultan his thoughts, and said to
him, "In my opinion, sir, there is an infallible way for your
majesty to avoid a match so disproportionable, without giving
Alla ad Deen, were he known to your majesty, any cause of
complaint; which is, to set so high a price upon the princess,
that, however rich he may be, he cannot comply with. This is the
only evasion to make him desist from so bold, not to say rash, an
undertaking, which he never weighed before he engaged in it."

The sultan, approving of the grand vizier's advice, turned to the
tailor's widow, and said to her, "Good woman, it is true sultans
ought to abide by their word, and I am ready to keep mine, by