[Footnote 38: The Mussulmans are allowed by the Koran to beat their
wives, so long as they do not make a bruise. The husband on this
occasion must have broken the law.
Some such permission was given by an English judge, Sir John Buller;
who declared the stick used must not be thicker than his thumb, from
whence he obtained the sobriquet of "Thumb Buller."]
As soon as I was able to walk and go abroad, I resolved to retire to
the house which was left me by my first husband, but I could not find
the site whereon it stood, as my second husband had caused it to be
leveled with the ground.
Being thus left destitute and helpless, I had recourse to my dear
sister Zobeide. She received me with her accustomed goodness, and
advised me to bear with patience my affliction, from which, she said,
none are free. In confirmation of her remark, she gave me an account
of the loss of the young prince her husband, occasioned by the
jealousy of her two sisters. She told me also by what accident they
were transformed into dogs; and in the last place, after a thousand
testimonials of her love toward me, she introduced me to my youngest
sister, who had likewise taken sanctuary with her after the death of
her mother; and we have continued to live together in the house in
which we received the guests whom your highness found assembled on
your visit last night.
* * * * *
The caliph publicly expressed his admiration of what he had heard, and
inquired of Zobeide, "Madam, did not this fairy whom you delivered,
and who imposed such a rigorous command upon you, tell you where her
place of abode was, or that she would restore your sisters to their
natural shape?"
"Commander of the Faithful," answered Zobeide, "the fairy did leave
with me a bundle of hair, saying that her presence would one day be of
use to me; and then, if I only burned two tufts of this hair, she
would be with me in a moment.
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