was

The Three Hundred and Seventy-fifth 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 as regards
the case of the cadette, the second damsel, when she was adopted
to daughter by the ancient dame she fell to spinning with her and
living by the work of their hands. Now there chanced to govern
that city a Basha[FN#178] who had sickened with a sore sickness
till he was near unto death; and the wise men and leaches had
compounded for him of medicines a mighty matter which, however,
availed him naught. At last the tidings came to the ears of the
Princess who lived with the old woman and she said to her, "O my
mother, I desire to prepare a tasse of broth and do thou bear it
to the Basha and let him drink of it; haply will Almighty Allah
vouchsafe him a cure whereby we shall gain some good." Said the
other, "O my daughter, and how shall I obtain admittance and who
shall set the broth before him?" The maiden replied, "O my
mother, at the Gate of Allah Almighty!"[FN#179] and the dame
rejoined, "Do thou whatso thou willest." So the damsel arose and
cooked a tasse of broth and mingled with it sundry hot spices
such as pimento[FN#180] and she had certain leaflets taken from
the so-called Wind tree,[FN#181] whereof she inserted a small
portion deftly mingling the ingredients. Then the old woman took
it and set forth and walked till she reached the Basha's mansion