lone in the hall, he looked
round him, and the objects he beheld recalling to his memory the
circumstances of his marriage, he perceived, with astonishment,
that it was the place where he had seen the sultan's groom of the
stables. His surprise was still the greater, when approaching
softly the door of a chamber which he found open, he spied his
own raiments where he remembered to have left them on his wedding
night. "My God!" said he, rubbing his eyes, "am I asleep or
awake?"

The beautiful lady, who in the mean time was diverting herself
with his astonishment, opened the curtains of her bed suddenly,
and bending her head forward, "My dear lord," said she, with a
soft, tender air, "what do you do at the door? You have been out
of bed a long time. I was strangely surprised when I awoke in not
finding you by me." Buddir ad Deen was enraptured; he entered the
room, but reverting to all that had passed during a ten years'
interval, and not being able to persuade himself that it could
all have happened in the compass of one night, he went to the
place where his vestments lay with the purse of sequins; and
after examining them very carefully, exclaimed, "By Allah these
are mysteries which I can by no means comprehend!" The lady, who
was pleased to see his confusion, said, once more, "My lord, what
do you wait for?" He stepped towards the bed, and said to her,
"Is it long since I left you?" "The question," answered she,
"surprises me. Did not you rise from me but now? Surely your mind
is deranged." "Madam," replied Buddir ad Deen, "I do assure you
my thoughts are not very composed. I remember indeed to have been
with you, but I remember at the same time, that I have since
lived ten years at Damascus. Now, if I was actually in bed with
you this night, I cannot have been from you so long. These two
points are inconsistent. Pray tell me what I am to think; whether
my marriage with you is an illusion, or whether my absence from
you is only a dream?" "Yes, my lord," cried she, "doubtless you
were light-headed when you thought you were at Damascus." Upon
this Buddir ad Deen laughed heartily, and said, "What a comical
fancy is this! I assure you, madam, this dream of mine will be
very pleasant to you. Do but imagine, if you please, that I was
at the gate of Damascus in my shirt and drawers, as I am here
now; that I entered the town with the halloo of a mob who
followed and insulted me; that I fled to a pastry cook who
adopted me