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between them, and how her son Bedreddin Hassan had spent a whole night with his daughter, twelve years ago, but had disappeared in the morning, and how she had conceived by him and borne a son, whom he had brought with him. When Bedreddin’s mother heard this news of her son and grandson and that the former was haply still alive and saw her husband’s brother, she threw herself at his feet and kissed them, repeating the following verses:
May God be good to him who brought me news that they were come; For never more delightful news unto my ears were borne.
If he would take a worn-out wede for boon, I’d proffer him A heart that at the parting hour was all to pieces torn.
Then the Vizier sent for Agib; and his grandmother embraced him and wept, but Shemseddin said to her, “This is no time for weeping; it behoves thee to make ready to go with us to Egypt; perhaps God will reunite us with thy son, my nephew.” “I hear and obey,” answered she, and rising at once, collected her goods and treasures and equipped herself and her handmaids for the journey, whilst the Vizier went to take his leave of the Sultan of Bassora, who sent by him gifts and rarities to the Sultan of Egypt. Then he set out at once on his homeward journey and travelled till he came to Damascus, where he halted and pitched his tents as before, saying to his suite, “We will halt here a week, to buy presents and curiosities for the Sultan.” Now the tie of blood drew Agib to his father, so he said to the eunuch, “O Laïc, I have a mind to go a-walking; so come, let us go down into the streets of Damascus and see what is become of the cook whose victuals we ate and whose head we broke, for indeed he was kind to us and we used him scurvily.” The eunuch replied, “I hear and obey.” So they left the tents and going down into the city, stayed not till they came to the cookshop, where they found
