repeated the saying to him a second time: withal he by no means
understood her. So quoth she, "How canst thou administer the
Sultanate and yet fail to comprehend my simple words? For indeed
I have made the case clear to thee." Hereupon he fathomed the
secret of the saying and flew to her in his joy and clasped her
to his bosom and kissed her upon the cheeks. But his mother
turned to him and said, "O my son, do not on this wise, for
everything hath its time and season;"--And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say
her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is
thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!"
Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate
to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?"
Now when it was the next night and that was

The Three Hundred and Seventy-fourth Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
Sultan's mother said, "O my son, everything hath its time and
season; and whoso hurrieth a matter before opportunity befit
shall be punished with the loss of it." But he replied, "By
Allah, O my mother, thy suspicion be misplaced: I acted thus only
on my gratitude to her, for assuredly she is the Knight who came
to my aidance and who saved me from death." And his mother
excused him. They passed that night in converse and next day at