three months were completed, which the sultan
had appointed for the consummation of the marriage between the Princess
Badroulboudour and himself; and the 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 rich he may be, he cannot comply
with it. This is the only way to make him desist from so bold an
undertaking."

The sultan, approving of the grand vizier's advice, turned to the
tailor's widow and said to her: "Good woman, it is true sultans ought to
abide by their words, and I am ready to keep mine, by making your son
happy in marriage with the princess, my daughter. But as I cannot marry
her without some further valuable consideration from your son, you may
tell him, I