me in and keep them company.
At first the old man declined, but was persuaded to enter the room, to
sit down on the edge of the sofa nearest the door, and at last to draw
closer and to seat himself by the beautiful Persian, who urged him so
persistently to drink her health that at length he yielded, and took
the cup she offered.

Now the old man only made a pretence of renouncing wine; he frequented
wine-shops like other people, and had taken none of the precautions
Noureddin had proposed. Having once yielded, he was easily persuaded
to take a second cup, and a third, and so on till he no longer knew
what he was doing. Till near midnight they continued drinking,
laughing, and singing together.

About that time the Persian, perceiving that the room was lit by only
one miserable tallow candle, asked Scheih Ibrahim to light some of the
beautiful candles in the silver arms.

"Light them yourself," answered the old man; "you are younger than I,
but let five or six be enough."

She did not stop, however, till she had lit all the eighty, but Scheih
Ibrahim was not conscious of this, and when, soon after that, Noureddin
proposed to have some of the lustres lit, he answered:

"You are more capable of lighting them than I, but not more than three."

Noureddin, far from contenting himself with three, lit all, and opened
all the eighty windows.

The Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid, chancing at that moment to open a window
in the saloon of his palace looking on the garden, was surprised to see
the pavilion brilliantly illuminated. Calling the grand-vizir, Giafar,
he said to him:

"Negligent vizir, look at the pavilion, and tell me why it is lit up
when I am not there."

When the vizir saw that it was as the Caliph said, he trembled with
fear, and immediately invented an excuse.

"Commander of the Faithful," he said, "I must tell you that four or
five days ago Scheih Ibrahim told me that he wished to have an assembly
of the ministers of his mosque, and asked permission to hold it in the
pavilion. I granted his request, but forgot since to mention it to
your Majesty."

"Giafar," replied the Caliph, "you have committed three faults--first,
in giving the permission; second, in not mentioning it to me; and
third, in not investigating the matter more closely. For punishment I
condemn you to spend the rest of the night with me in company of these
worthy people. While I dress myself as a citizen, go and disguise
yourself, and