er: besides, the pastry-cook treated us also with a great bowl of
sherbet." "Well," cried Shumse ad Deen, "after all this, will you
continue to deny that you entered the pastry-cook's house, and ate
there?" Shubbaunee had still the impudence to swear it was not true.
"Then you are a liar," said the vizier "I believe my grandchild; but
after all, if you can eat up this cream-tart I shall be persuaded you
have truth on your side."

Though Shubbaunee had crammed himself up to the throat before, he
agreed to stand that test, and accordingly took a piece of tart;
but his stomach rising against it, he was obliged to spit it out
of his mouth. Yet he still pursued the lie, and pretended he had
over-eaten himself the day before, and had not recovered his
appetite. The vizier irritated with all the eunuch's frivolous
presences, and convinced of his guilt, ordered him to be soundly
bastinadoed. In undergoing this punishment, the poor wretch
shrieked out aloud, and at last confessed the truth; "I own,"
cried he, "that we did eat a cream-tart at the pastry cook's, and
that it was much better than that upon the table."

The widow of Noor ad Deen thought it was out of spite to her, and
with a desire to mortify her, that Shubbaunee commended the
pastry-cook's tart; and accordingly said, "I cannot believe the
cook's tarts are better than mine; I am resolved to satisfy
myself upon that head. Where does he live? Go immediately and buy
me one of his tarts." The eunuch repaired to Buddir ad Deen's
shop, and said, "Let me have one of your cream-tarts; one of our
ladies wants to taste them." Buddir ad Deen chose one of the
best, and gave it to the eunuch.

Shubbaunee returned speedily to the tents, gave the tart to Noor
ad Deen's widow, who, snatching it greedily, broke a piece off;
but no sooner put it to her mouth, than she cried out and swooned
away. The vizier was extremely surprised at the accident; he
threw water upon her face, and was very active in recovering her.
As soon as she came to herself, "My God!" cried she, "it must
needs be my son, my dear Buddir ad Deen who made this tart."

When the vizier Shumse ad Deen heard his sister-in-law say, that
the maker of the tart, brought by the eunuch, must needs be her
son, he was overjoyed; but reflecting that his joy might prove
groundless, and the conjecture of Noor ad Deen's widow be false,
"Madam," said he, "do you think there may not be a pastry-cook in
the world, who knows how t