next day sent his mother to the palace, to remind the sultan of his promise.
The widow went to the palace, and stood in the same place as before in the hall of audience. The sultan no sooner cast his eyes upon her than he knew her again, remembered her business, and how long he had put her off: therefore, when the grand vizier was beginning to make his report, the sultan interrupted him, and said: “Vizier, I see the good woman who made me the present of jewels some months ago; forbear your report, till I have heard what she has to say.” The vizier, looking about the divan, perceived the tailor’s widow, and sent the chief of the mace-bearers to conduct her to the sultan.
Aladdin’s mother came to the foot of the throne, prostrated herself as usual, and when she rose, the sultan asked her what she would have. “Sir,” said she, “I come to represent to your majesty, in the name of my son, Aladdin, that the three months, at the end of which you ordered me to come again, are expired; and to beg you to remember your promise.”
The sultan, when he had fixed a time to answer the request of this good woman, little thought of hearing any more of a marriage, which he imagined would be very disagreeable to the princess; so this summons for him to fulfil his promise was somewhat embarrassing; he declined giving an answer till he had consulted his vizier, and signified to him the little inclination he had to conclude a match for his daughter with a stranger, whose rank he supposed to be very mean.
The grand vizier freely told the sultan his thoughts, and said to him: “In my opinion, sir, there is an infallible way for your majesty to avoid a match so disproportionate, without giving Aladdin, were he known to your majesty, any cause of complaint; which is, to set so high a price upon the princess that, however
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