After this the Lady Zubeideh took counsel with the
Khalif on the marriage of her favourite, and he gave leave and
assigned her a wedding portion of ten thousand dinars. So the
Lady Zubeideh sent for the Cadi and the witnesses, and they drew
up our marriage contract, after which the women made sweetmeats
and rich viands and distributed them among the inmates of the
harem. Thus they did other ten days, at the end of which time my
mistress entered the bath. Meanwhile, they set before me a tray
of food, on which was a basin containing a ragout of fricasseed
fowls' breasts dressed with cumin-seed and flavoured with sugar
and rose-water, mixed with musk, and many another dish, such as
amazed the wit; and by Allah, I did not hesitate, but fell upon
the ragout and ate my fill of it. Then I wiped my hands, but
forgot to wash them and sat till it grew dark, when they lit the
candles and the singing-women came with tambourines and proceeded
to display the bride and carry her in procession from room to
room, receiving largesse of gold and pieces of silk, till they
had made the round of the palace. Then they brought her to me and
disrobed her. When I found myself alone in bed with her, I
embraced her, hardly believing in my good fortune; but she smelt
the odour of the ragout on my hands and gave a loud cry, at which
the maids came running to her from all sides.
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