children? Or if they prove not his wilt thou pardon him and restore him to his own country?" And the Queen was furious and replied, "This shall never be; no, never; for if they be not his children I will slay him and strike off his neck with my own hand." Upon which the old woman fell down for fear, and Nur alHuda set upon her the Chamberlain and twenty Mamelukes, saying, "Go with this crone and fetch me the youth who is in her house." Thus they brought Hasan into the Queen's presence, where he found his two sons, Nasir and Mansur, sitting in her lap while she played and made merry with them. And as soon as his eyes fell on them he gave a great cry and fell down fainting for excess of joy at the sight of them. And they also knew him, and freed themselves from the Queen's lap and put their arms round Hasan's neck and said to him, "O our father." And all present wept for pity and tenderness. But Nur al-Huda was wroth beyond measure. And she cried out saying, "Arise, fly for thy life. But that I swore no evil should betide thee if thy tale proved true, I would slay thee with mine own hand." So Hasan departed from her presence, and, giving himself up for lost, wept and repented of having come to these lands.
But as regards his wife, Manar al-Sana, when she was about to depart on her journey, the King, her father, sent requesting that she would first visit him. So she rose and repaired to his presence, when he said unto her, "O my daughter, I have had a dream which maketh me fear
