of
his having made him an adroit answer, and bethought himself to give him
little, but feared lest he should be aware of its value and debated with
himself if he should give him much. Then said he in himself, "Most like
he knoweth not its value;" so he brought out of his pocket a gold diner
and gave it to him. When Alaeddin saw the diner in his hand, he took it
and went off in haste, whereby the Jew knew that the lad was unaware
of the value of the plate and repented him sore that he had given him a
gold diner and not a carat of three-score: [307]

Meanwhile Alaeddin tarried not, but went forthright to the baker and
bought of him bread and changed the diner; then, returning to his
mother, he gave her the bread and the rest of the money and said to her,
"O my mother, go and buy us what we need." So she arose and going to the
market, bought all that they needed and they ate and were cheered.
Then, whenassoever the price of a platter was spent, Alaeddin would take
another and carry it to the Jew; on which wise the accursed Jew bought
them all of him for a small matter and would fain also have reduced the
price; but, since he had given him a diner the first time, he feared to
offer him less, lest the lad should go and sell to another [308] and he
lose that excessive profit. Accordingly, Alaeddin ceased not to sell him
platter after platter till he had sold them all and there was left
him only the tray whereon they had been; then, for that it was big and
heavy, he went and fetched the Jew to the house and brought out to him
the tray. When he saw it and noted its bigness, he gave Alaeddin ten
diners, which he took, and the Jew went his way.

Alaeddin and his mother lived upon the ten diners till they came to an
end; then he arose and bringing out the lamp, rubbed it, whereupon the
slave of the lamp, to wit, the genie whom he had seen before, appeared
to him and [309] said to him, "Seek what thou wilt, O my lord, for that
I am thy slave and the slave of whoso hath with him the lamp." Quoth
Alaeddin, "It is my will that thou bring me a tray of food like unto
that which thou broughtest me erewhen, for that I am hungry;" and the
slave brought him, in the twinkling of an eye, a tray like unto that
which he had brought him before, and on it twelve magnificent platters
full of rich meats, together with flagons [310] of clarified wine and
bread of the finest. Now Alaeddin's mother, when she knew that her son
was minded to rub the la