oming up to me with
affected condolence, exclaimed, "Dear master, how your cheeks are
swelled!" at the same time pressing his hands upon my face. The
egg was boiling hot, and gave me intolerable pain, while the
young wit pretended compassionately to stroke my visage. At
length, he pressed my jaws together so hard that the egg broke,
when the scalding yolk ran down my throat, and over my beard:
upon which the artful lad cried out in seeming joy, "God be
praised, my dear master, that the dreadful imposthume has
discharged itself; we, your pupils, will all return thanks for
your happy recovery." My mouth was contracted by the scald in the
manner you behold, and I became so ridiculed for my folly, that I
was obliged to shut up my school.

The sultan having heard the other man's story, which was of but
little interest, dismissed the three foolish schoolmasters with a
present, commanded the vizier to go and recognize the house of
the three ladies and their mother, it being his intention to
visit them again in disguise and hear their adventures. The
vizier hastened to the street, but to his surprise and
mortification found all the houses marked in the same manner, for
the youngest sister having overheard the sultan's instructions,
had done this to prevent a discovery of their residence. The
vizier returned to the sultan, and informed him of the trick
which had been played. He was much vexed, but the circumstance
excited his curiosity in a greater degree. At length the vizier
bethought himself of a stratagem, and said, "My lord, let a
proclamation be issued for four days successively throughout the
city, that whoever presumes after the first watch of the night to
have a lamp lighted in his house, shall have his head struck off,
his goods confiscated, his house razed to the ground, and his
women dishonoured. It is possible, as these ladies did not regard
your proclamation at the nuptials of the princess, they may
disobey this, and by that means we may discover their residence."

The sultan approved the contrivance of the vizier, caused the
proclamation to be made, and waited impatiently for the fourth
night, when he and his minister having disguised themselves as
before, proceeded to the street in which the ladies lived. A
light appeared only in one house, which it being now tolerably
certain was that they were in quest of, they knocked at the door.

Immediately on their knocking the youngest sister called out,
"Who is at