ell him that he was out of all patience,
having heard nothing from him concerning the negro slave whom he
had commanded him to search for; "I am therefore ordered," said
the messenger, "to bring you before his throne." The afflicted
vizier, obeyed the mandate, but as he was going out, they brought
him his youngest daughter, about five or six years of age, to
receive his last blessing.

As he had a particular affection for that child, he prayed the
messenger to give him leave to stop a moment, and taking his
daughter in his arms, kissed her several times: as he kissed her,
he perceived she had something in her bosom that looked bulky,
and had a sweet scent. "My dear little one," said he, "what hast
thou in thy bosom?" "My dear father," she replied, "it is an
apple which our slave Rihan sold me for two sequins."

At these words apple and slave, the grand vizier, uttered an
exclamation of surprise, intermixed with joy, and putting his
hand into the child's bosom, pulled out the apple. He caused the
slave, who was not far off, to be brought immediately, and when
he came, "Rascal," said he, "where hadst thou this apple?" "My
lord," replied the slave, "I swear to you that I neither stole it
in your house, nor out of the commander of the faithful's garden;
but the other day, as I was passing through a street where three
or four children were at play, one of them having it in his hand,
I snatched it from him, and carried it away. The child ran after
me, telling me it was not his own, but belonged mother, who was
sick; and that his father, to satisfy her longing, had made a
long journey, and brought home three apples, whereof this was
one, which he had taken from his mother without her knowledge. He
said all he could to prevail upon me to give it him back, but I
refused, and so brought it home, and sold it for two sequins to
the little lady your daughter."

Jaaffier could not reflect without astonishment that the
mischievousness of a slave had been the cause of an innocent
woman's death, and nearly of his own. He carried the slave along
with him, and when he came before the caliph, gave the prince an
exact account of what the slave had told him, and the chance
which led him to the discovery of his crime.

Never was any surprise so great as that of the caliph, yet he
could not refrain from falling into excessive fits of laughter.
At last he recovered himself, and with a serious air told the
vizier, that since his slave had