to trouble thee?"
And she answered him, saying, "There aileth me nothing; but, O my
beloved, I had thought that our palace [655] lacked of nought; however,
O my eyes [656] Alaeddin, were there hung in the dome of the upper
pavilion [657] an egg of the bird Roc, there were not its like in the
world." "And wast thou concerned anent this?" rejoined Alaeddin. "This
is to me the easiest of all things; so be easy, for it is enough that
thou tell me of that which thou wishest and I will fetch it thee from
the abysses of the world on the speediest wise." Then [658] after he had
comforted the princess and promised her all she sought, he went straight
to his closet and taking the lamp rubbed it; whereupon the Marid at once
appeared and said to him, "Seek what thou wilt;" and Alaeddin, "I will
have thee bring me a Roc's egg and hang it in the dome of the [upper]
pavilion." [659]

When the Marid heard Alaeddin's words, his face frowned and he was
wroth and cried out with a terrible great voice, saying, "O denier of
benefits, doth it not suffice thee that I and all the slaves of the Lamp
are at thy service and wouldst thou eke have me bring thee our liege
lady, for thy pleasure, and hang her in the dome of thy pavilion, to
divert thee and thy wife? By Allah, ye deserve that I should forthright
reduce you both to ashes and scatter you to the winds! But, inasmuch as
ye are ignorant, thou and she, concerning this matter and know not its
inward from its outward, [660] I excuse you, for that ye are innocent.
As for the guilt, it lieth with the accursed one, the surviving [661]
brother of the Maugrabin enchanter, who feigneth himself to be Fatimeh
the Recluse; for lo, he hath slain Fatimeh in her cavern and hath donned
her dress and disguised himself after her favour and fashion and is come
hither, seeking thy destruction, so he may take vengeance on thee for
his brother; and he it is who taught thy wife to seek this of thee."
[662] Therewith he disappeared, and as for Alaeddin, when he heard this,
his wit fled from his head and his joints trembled at the cry wherewith
the Marid cried out at him; but he took heart and leaving his closet,
went in straightway to his wife and feigned to her that his head irked
him, of his knowledge that Fatimeh was renowned for the secret of
healing [663] all aches and pains. When the Lady Bedrulbudour saw him
put his hand to his head and complain of its aching, [664] she asked him
what was the cause and he