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Commander of the Faithful and that I do but style myself thus, to get my will of the people of the city. My real name is Mohammed Ali son of Ali the Jeweller and my father was one of the chief men [of the city]. When he died, he left me great store of gold and silver and pearls and coral and rubies and chrysolites and other jewels, besides houses and lands and baths and gardens and orchards and shops and brickfields and slaves, male and female. One day, as I sat in my shop, surrounded by my slaves and servants, there came up a young lady, riding on a mule and attended by three damsels like moons. She alighted at my shop and seating herself by me, said to me, “Art thou Mohammed the jeweller?” “Yes,” answered I, “I am he, at thy service.” “Hast thou a necklace of jewels fit for me?” asked she, and I replied, “O my lady, I will show thee what I have; and if any please thee, it will be of thy slave’s good luck; if not, of his ill-fortune.” I had by me a hundred necklaces and showed them all to her; but none of them pleased her and she said, “I want a better than those I have seen.” Now I had a small necklace, that my father had bought for a hundred thousand dinars and the like whereof was not to be found with any of the great kings; so I said to her, “O my lady, I have yet one necklace of fine stones, whose like none possesseth, great or small.” “Show it me,” said she. So I showed it her and she said, “This is what I sought and what I have wished for all my life. What is its price?” Quoth I, “It cost my father a hundred thousand dinars;” and she said, “I will give thee five thousand dinars to thy profit.” “O my lady,” answered I, “the necklace and its owner are at thy service and I cannot gainsay thee [in aught].” “Not so,” rejoined she; “needs must thou have the profit, and I am still much beholden to thee.” Then she rose and mounting the mule in haste, said to me, “O my lord, in God’s name, favour us with thy company, to receive the
