Presently, Ghanim heard them mention the name of Cout el Culoub,
whereupon his life came back to him, wasted and shrunken as he
was, and he raised his head from the pillow and cried out, 'O
Cout el Culoub!' 'Yes, O friend!' answered she. 'Draw near to
me,' said he. So she looked at him earnestly and knew him and
said to him, 'Surely thou art Ghanim ben Eyoub?' 'I am indeed
he,' replied he. At this, she fell down in a swoon, and when
Ghanim's mother and sister heard their words, they both cried
out, 'O joy!' and swooned away. When they recovered, Cout el
Culoub exclaimed, 'Praised be God who hath brought us together
again and hath reunited thee with thy mother and sister!' Then
she told him all that had befallen her with the Khalif and said,
'I have made known the truth to the Commander of the Faithful,
who believed me and approved of thee; and now he wishes to see
thee.' Then she told him how the Khalif had bestowed her on him,
at which he was beyond measure rejoiced, and she returned to the
palace at once, charging them not to stir till she came back.
There she opened the chest that she had brought from Ghanim's
house, and taking out some of the money, carried it to the syndic
and bade him buy them each four suits of the best stuffs and
twenty handkerchiefs and what else they needed; after which she
carried them all three to the bath and commanded to wash them and
made ready for them broths and galingale and apple-water against
their coming out.
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