oot in the sultan's palace before, and knew
not what was every day practised there, freed him from his
embarrassment, and said to him, with a great deal of simplicity,
"Son, I have seen the sultan, and am very well persuaded he has
seen me too; for I placed myself just before him; but he was so
much taken up with those who attended on all sides of him, that I
pitied him, and wondered at his patience. At last I believe he
was heartily tired, for he rose up suddenly, and would not hear a
great many who were ready prepared to speak to him, but went
away, at which I was well pleased, for indeed I began to lose all
patience, and was extremely fatigued with staying so long. But
there is no harm done; I will go again to-morrow; perhaps the
sultan may not be so busy."

Though his passion was very violent, Alla ad Deen was forced to
be satisfied with this delay, and to fortify himself with
patience. He had at least the satisfaction to find that his
mother had got over the greatest difficulty, which was to procure
access to the sultan, and hoped that the example of those she saw
speak to him would embolden her to acquit herself better of her
commission when a favourable opportunity might offer to speak to
him.

The next morning she repaired to the sultan's palace with the
present, as early as the day before, but when she came there, she
found the gates of the divan shut, and understood that the
council sat but every other day, therefore she must come again
the next. This news she carried to her son, whose only relief was
to guard himself with patience. She went six times afterwards on
the days appointed, placed herself always directly before the
sultan, but with as little success as the first morning, and
might have perhaps come a thousand times to as little purpose, if
luckily the sultan himself had not taken particular notice of
her: for only those who came with petitions approached the
sultan, when each pleaded their cause in its turn, and Alla ad
Deen's mother was not one of them.

On the sixth day, however, after the divan was broken up, when
the sultan returned to his own apartment, he said to his grand
vizier, "I have for some time observed a certain woman, who
attends constantly every day that I give audience, with something
wrapped up in a napkin: she always stands up from the beginning
to the breaking up of the audience, and affects to place herself
just before me. Do you know what she wants?"

"Sir," replied th