Whither shall I go？asked he，and she said，Thou canst pass the night in a tavern or with one of thy friends.'Quoth he，Why dost thou send me forth of the church？and she replied，The princess Husn Meryem，daughter of Youhenna，King of the city，purposes this night to pay a visit to the church，and it befits not that any abide in her way.'So he rose and made a show of obeying her and of leaving the church；but he said in himself，I wonder whether the princess is like our women or fairer than they！Algates，I will not go till I have had a sight of her.'So he hid himself in a closet[117] with a window looking into the church，and as he watched，in came the Kings daughter. He cast one glance at her，that cost him a thousand sighs，for she was like the full moon，when it emerges from the clouds；and with her was a damsel，to whom he heard her say，O Zubeideh，thy company is grateful to me.'So he looked straitly at the damsel and found her to be none other than his wife，Zubeideh the Lutanist，whom he thought dead. Then the princess said to Zubeideh，Play us an air on the lute.'But she answered，I will make no music for thee，till thou grant my wish and fulfil thy promise to me.'And what did I promise thee？asked the princess. That thou wouldst reunite me with my husband Alaeddin Abou esh Shamat，'said Zubeideh. O Zubeideh，'rejoined the princess，be of good cheer and play us an air，as a thank-offering for reunion with thy husband.'Where is he？asked Zubeideh，and Meryem replied，He is in yonder closet，listening to us.'So Zubeideh played a measure on the lute，that would have made a rock dance；which when Alaeddin heard，his entrails were troubled and he came forth and throwing himself upon his wife，strained her to his bosom.
She also knew him and they embraced and fell down in a swoon.
Then came the princess and sprinkled rose-water on them，till they revived，when she said to them，God hath reunited you.'By thy kind offices，O my lady，'replied Alaeddin and turning to his wife，said to her，O Zubeideh，thou didst surely die and we buried thee： how then camest thou to life and to this place？O my lord，'answered she，I did not die；but a Marid of the Jinn snatched me up and flew with me hither. She whom thou buriedst was a Jinniyeh，who took my shape and feigned herself dead，but presently broke open the tomb and returned to the service of this her mistress，the princess Husn Meryem. As for me，I was in a trance，and when I opened my eyes，I found myself with the princess；so I said to her，'Why hast thou bought me hither？'
Zubeideh，'answered she，'know that I am predestined to marry thy husband Alaeddin Abou esh Shamat： wilt thou then accept of me to fellow-wife，a night for me and a night for thee？'I hear and obey，O my lady，'rejoined I；'but where is my husband？'Quoth she，'Upon his forehead is written what God hath decreed to him；
as soon as what is there written is fulfilled to him he must needs come hither，and we will beguile the time of our separation from him with songs and smiting upon instruments of music，till it please God to unite us with him.'So I abode with her till God brought us together in this church.'Then the princess turned to him and said，O my lord Alaeddin，wilt thou accept of me to wife？O my lady，'replied he，I am a Muslim and thou art a Nazarene；so how can I marry thee？God forbid，'rejoined she，that I should be an infidel！Nay，I am a Muslim；these eighteen years have I held fast the Faith of Submission and I am pure of any faith other than that of Islam.'Then said he，O my lady，I would fain return to my native land.'And she answered，Know that I see written on thy forehead things that thou must needs fulfil and thou shalt come to thy desire. Moreover，I give thee the glad tidings，O Alaeddin，that there hath been born to thee a son named Aslan，who is now eighteen years old and sitteth in thy place with the Khalif. Know also that God hath shown forth the truth and done away the false by withdrawing the curtain of secrecy from him who stole the Khalifs goods，that is，Ahmed Kemakim the arch-thief and traitor；and he now lies bound and in prison. It was I who caused the jewel to be put in the bag where thou foundest it and who sent the captain to thee；for thou must know that he is enamoured of me and seeketh my favours，but I refused to yield to his wishes，till he should being me the jewel and its owner. So I gave him a hundred purses[118] and despatched him to thee，in the habit of a merchant；and it was I also who sent the old woman to save thee from being put to death with the other captives.'May God requite thee for us with all good！'said he. Indeed，thou hast done well.'Then she renewed her profession of the Mohammedan faith at his hands，and when he was assured of the truth of her speech，he said to her，O my lady，tell me what are the virtues of the jewel and whence cometh it？It came from an enchanted treasure，'answered she，and has five virtues，that will profit us in time of need. The princess my grandmother，my fathers mother，was an enchantress and skilled in solving mysteries and winning at hidden treasures，and from one of the latter came the jewel into her hands. When I grew up and reached the age of fourteen，I read the Evangel and other books and found the name of Mohammed （whom God bless and preserve） in four books，the Evangel，the Pentateuch，the Psalms[119] and the Koran；so I believed in Mohammed and became a Muslim，being assured that none is worship-worth save God the Most High and that to the Lord of all creatures no faith is acceptable save that of Submission. When my grandmother fell sick，she gave me the jewel and taught me its virtues. Moreover，before she died，my father said to her，Draw me a geomantic figure and see the issue of my affair and what will befall me.'
