There was once a devotee, a recluse, a woman who had devoted herself to religion. Now she used to resort to a certain King's palace, whose dwellers were blessed by her presence and she was held of them in high honour. One day she entered that palace according to her custom and sat down beside the King's wife. Presently, the Queen gave her a necklace, worth a thousand dinars, saying, "Keep this for me, O woman, whilst I go to the Hammam." So she entered the bath, which was in the palace, and the pious woman remaining in the place where the Queen was and awaiting her return laid the necklace on the prayer carpet and stood up to pray. As she was thus engaged, there came a magpie which snatched up the necklace, while she went out to obey a call of nature and carrying it off, hid it inside a crevice in a corner of the palace walls. When the Queen came out of the bath, she sought the necklace of the recluse, who also searched for it, but found it not nor could light on any trace of it; so she said to the King's wife, "By God, O my daughter, none has been with me. When you gave me the necklace, I laid it on the prayer carpet, and I know not if one of the servants saw it and took it without my heed, whilst I was engaged in prayer. Almighty Allah only knows what is come of it!" When the King heard what had happened, he bade his Queen put the bath woman to the question by fire and grievous blows,—

When it was the Five Hundred and Ninety seventh night

(continued the damsel), "I have heard, O King, tell this tale of