mother that, though he consented to the
marriage, she must not appear before him again for three months.

Aladdin waited patiently for nearly three months, but after two had
elapsed his mother, going into the city to buy oil, found every one
rejoicing, and asked what was going on. "Do you not know," was the
answer, "that the son of the Grand Vizier is to marry the Sultan's
daughter to-night?" Breathless, she ran and told Aladdin, who was
overwhelmed at first, but presently bethought him of the lamp. He
rubbed it, and the genie appeared, saying: "What is thy will?" Aladdin
replied: "The Sultan, as thou knowest, has broken his promise to me,
and the Vizier's son is to have the Princess. My command is that
to-night you bring hither the bride and bridegroom." "Master, I
obey," said the genie. Aladdin then went to his chamber, where, sure
enough, at midnight the genie transported the bed containing the
Vizier's son and the Princess. "Take this new-married man," he said,
"and put him outside in the cold, and return at daybreak." Whereupon
the genie took the Vizier's son out of bed, leaving Aladdin with the
Princess. "Fear nothing," Aladdin said to her; "you are my wife,
promised to me by your unjust father, and no harm shall come to you."
The Princess was too frightened to speak, and passed the most
miserable night of her life, while Aladdin lay down beside her and
slept soundly. At the appointed hour the genie fetched in the
shivering bridegroom, laid him in his place, and transported the bed
back to the palace.

Presently the Sultan came to wish his daughter good-morning. The
unhappy Vizier's son jumped up and hid himself, while the Princess
would not say a word, and was very sorrowful. The Sultan sent her
mother to her, who said: "How comes it, child, that you will not speak
to your father? What has happened?" The Princess sighed deeply, and at
last told her mother how, during the night, the bed had been carried
into some strange house, and what had passed there. Her mother did not
believe her in the least, but bade her rise and consider it an idle
dream.

The following night exactly the same thing happened, and next morning,
on the Princess's refusing to speak, the Sultan threatened to cut off
her head. She then confessed all, bidding him ask the Vizier's son if
it were not so. The Sultan told the Vizier to ask his son, who owned
the truth, adding that, dearly as he loved the Princess, he had rather
die than go throug