uch do you want for it?" asked the son. "Only two thousand
rupees, and it is worth three thousand." So the wazir's son bought his
father, without knowing it, for two thousand rupees. "You must not
open the chest till you are in the house," said the merchant's wife.
The wazir's son opened the chest in the house at once, wondering what
could be in it; and the wazir's wife stood by all the time. When they
saw the wazir himself, looking very much ashamed, they were greatly
astonished. "How came you there?" they cried. "Where have you been?"
said his wife. "Oh," said the wazir, "I never thought she was a woman
to treat me like this;" and he, too, had to tell all his story.

Now the merchant's wife stopped at the kazi's door, and there stood
the kazi's son. "Will you buy this chest?" she said to him, and had
the kazi's chest put on the ground. "What is in it?" said the kazi's
son. "Silver and gold," she answered. "You shall have it for three
thousand rupees. The contents are worth four." "Well, I will take it,"
said the son. "Don't open it till you are in your house," she said,
and took her three thousand rupees and went away. Great was the
excitement when the kazi stepped out of the chest. "Oh!" he groaned,
"I never thought she could behave like this to me."

The merchant's wife now went to the palace, and set the king's chest
down at the palace gates. There she saw the king's son. "Will you buy
this chest?" she said. "What is in it?" asked the prince. "Diamonds,
pearls, and all kinds of precious stones," said the merchant's wife.
"You shall have the chest for five thousand rupees, but its contents
are worth a great deal more." "Well," said the king's son, "here are
your five thousand rupees; give me the chest." "Don't open it out
here," she said. "Take it into the palace and open it there." And away
she went home.

The king's son opened the chest, and there was his father. "What's all
this?" cried the prince. "How came _you_ to be in the chest?" The king
was very much ashamed, and did not tell much about his adventure; but
when he was sitting in his court-house, he had the merchant's wife
brought to him, and gave her a quantity of rupees, saying, "You are a
wise and clever woman."

Now the kotwal knew the wazir had gone to see the merchant's wife; and
the wazir knew the kazi had gone; and the kazi, that the king had
gone; but this was all that any of them knew.

The merchant's wife had now plenty of rupees, so she had