ng her before him forthright; [359]
whereupon the Vizier laid his hand on his head and answered, "Hearkening
and obedience, O our lord the Sultan."

Meanwhile, [360] Alaeddin's mother, albeit she was grown exceeding weary
and dejected, yet made light of all weariness, for her son's sake, and
continued, as of her wont, to go every court-day and stand in the Divan
before the Sultan. [361] Accordingly, one day of the days, she went to
the Divan, as of her wont, and stood before the Sultan; and when he saw
her, he called his Vizier and said to him, "Yonder is the woman of whom
I bespoke thee yesterday; bring her now before me, so I may see what
her suit is and accomplish unto her her occasion." So the Vizier arose
forthright and let bring Alaeddin's mother in before the Sultan. When
she came into the latter's presence, she made her obeisance to him and
did him reverence, wishing him glory and continuance and eternity of
prosperity and kissing the ground before him. Then said he to her, "O
woman, I see thee come every day to the Divan and thou speakest not of
aught. Tell me an thou have a want, that I may accomplish it unto thee;"
whereupon she kissed the earth a second time and called down blessings
upon him, then answered, "Ay, O King of the Age, as thy head liveth,
I have indeed a want; but before all things do thou give me thine
assurance, [362] so I may make bold to prefer my suit to the hearing of
our lord the Sultan, for that belike Thy Grace will find it a strange
one."

The Sultan, that he might learn what her suit was and for that he was of
his nature exceeding clement, gave her his assurance and bidding all
who were with him go out forthright, abode alone [with her], he and the
Grand Vizier. Then he turned to her and said, "Tell me thy suit, and the
assurance [363] of God the Most High be upon thee." Quoth she, "O King
of the Age, I wish thy pardon also." And he said to her, "God pardon
thee!" [364] Then said she to him, "O our lord the Sultan, I have a
son, whose name is Alaeddin, and one day of the days he heard the
crier proclaim that none should open his shop nor show himself in the
thoroughfares of the city, [365] for that the Lady Bedrulbudour, the
daughter of our lord the Sultan, was going to the bath. When my son
heard this, he wished to see her; so he hid himself in a place,
whence he might see her well, and this was behind the door of the bath.
Accordingly, when she came up, he saw her and viewed her we