Page:Fairy tales from the Arabian nights.djvu/462

 the sultan, provoked with his daughter, said to her in a rage, with his sabre in his hand, 'Daughter, tell me what is the matter, or I will cut off your head immediately.'

The princess, more frightened at the menaces and tone of the enraged sultan than at the sight of the drawn sabre, at last broke silence, and said, with tears in her eyes, 'My dear father and sultan, I ask your majesty's pardon if I have offended you, and hope you will have compassion on me, when I have told you what a dreadful thing has happened.' Then she told him all.

The sultan felt extreme uneasiness at so surprising an adventure. 'Daughter,' said he, 'efface all these troublesome ideas out of your memory; I will take care and give orders that you shall have no more such disagreeable and insupportable adventures.'

As soon as the sultan got back to his own apartment, he sent for the grand vizier. 'Vizier,' said he, 'have you seen your son, and has he told you anything?'

The vizier replied 'No.'

Then the sultan related all that the Princess Badroulboudour had told him, and said, 'I do not doubt that my daughter has told me the truth; but nevertheless I should be glad to have it confirmed by your son; therefore go and ask him.'

The grand vizier went immediately to his son, and communicated what the sultan had told him, and enjoined him to conceal nothing, but to tell him the whole truth.

'I will disguise nothing from you, father,' replied the son, 'for indeed all that the princess says is true. All this ill-usage does not in the least lessen the respect and gratitude I entertain for the princess, and of which she is so deserving; but I must confess that notwithstanding all the honour and splendour that attends my marrying my sovereign's daughter, I would much rather die than marry her if I must undergo again what I have already endured. I do not doubt but that the princess entertains the same sentiments, and that she will readily agree to part, which is so necessary both for her repose and mine. Therefore, father, I beg you to get the sultan's consent that our marriage may be broken off.'

Notwithstanding the grand vizier's ambition to have his son