Page:The jade story book; stories from the Orient (IA jadestorybooksto00cous).pdf/174

158 with justice. It is true, Ahmed, the princess, my niece, is obliged to your artificial apple for her cure; but let me ask you, whether you could have contrived to cure her if you had not known by Ali's tube the danger she was in, and if Houssain's carpet had not brought you to her so soon? Your tube, Ali, revealed to you and your brothers the illness of your cousin; but you must grant that the knowledge of her illness would have been of no service without the artificial apple and the carpet. And as for you, Houssain, your carpet was an essential instrument in effecting her cure; but consider, it would have been of little use if you had not been acquainted with her illness by Ali's tube, or if Ahmed had not applied his artificial apple. Therefore, as the carpet, the ivory tube, and the artificial apple have no preference over each other, but on the contrary as each had an equal share in her cure, I cannot grant the princess to any one of you; and the only fruit you have reaped from your travels is the happiness of having equally contributed to restore her to health.

"As this is the case," added the sultan,