appointed time accomplished ere his beauty returned to him and
his goodliness; nay, his charms waxed tenfold and he became a
ravishment to all who looked on him.

One day the Commander of the Faithful bade bring him to the
presence; so his slave-girl changed his raiment and clothing him
in sumptuous apparel, mounted him on the mule. Then he rode to
the palace and presenting himself before the Khalif, saluted him
with the goodliest of salutations and bespoke him with eloquent
and deep-thoughted speech. When Er Reshid saw him, he marvelled
at the goodliness of his favour and his eloquence and the
readiness of his speech and enquiring of him, was told that he
was Sitt el Milah's lord; whereupon quoth he, "Indeed, she is
excusable in her love for him, and if we had put her to death
unrighteously, as we were minded to do, her blood would have been
upon our heads." Then he turned to the young man and entering
into discourse with him, found him well bred, intelligent, quick
of wit and apprehension, generous, pleasant, elegant, erudite. So
he loved him with an exceeding love and questioned him of his
native city and of his father and of the manner of his journey to
Baghdad. Noureddin acquainted him with that which he would know
in the goodliest of words and with the concisest of expressions;
and the Khalif said to him, "And where hast thou been absent all
this while? Indeed, we sent after thee to Damascus and Mosul and
other the towns, but lit on no tidings of thee." "O my lord,"
answered the young man, "there betided thy slave in thy city that
which never yet betided any." And he acquainted him with his case
from first to last and told him that which had befallen him of
evil [from El Muradi and his crew].