by night to the sleeping-chamber of the two boys and spy upon them, that he might hear what they said concerning his wife.  As he stood one night privily at the door of their chamber, he saw them spread out the gold between their hands and play with it and heard one of them say, “Woe to us!  What doth this gold profit us?  Indeed we cannot buy therewith any thing nor spend it upon ourselves.  Nay, but we have sinned against Abu Tammam and done him dead unjustly.”  And said the other, “Had we known that the king would slay him on the spot, we had not done what we did.”  When the king heard that, he could not contain himself, but rushed in upon them and said to them, “Woe to you!  What did ye?  Tell me.”  And they cried, “Aman,[FN#217] O king!” He cried, “An ye would have pardon from Allah and me, you are bound to tell me the truth, for nothing shall save you from me but soothfastness.”  Hereat they prostrated themselves before him and said, “By Allah, O king, the Wazirs gave us this gold and taught us to lie against Abu Tammam, so thou mightest kill him, and what we said was their speech.”  When the king heard this, he plucked at his beard, till he was like to tear it up by the roots and bit upon his fingers, till he well nigh cut them in twain, for repentance and sorrow that he had wrought hastily and had not delayed with Abu Tammam, so he might consider his case.  Then he sent for the Ministers and said to them, “O villainous Wazirs, ye deemed that Allah was heedless of your deed, but right soon shall your wickedness revert upon you.  Know ye not that whoso diggeth for his brother a pit shall himself fall into it?[FN#218] Take from me the punishment of this world and to-morrow ye shall receive the punishment of the next world and requital from Allah.”  Then he bade put them to death; so the headsman smote off their heads before the king, and he went in to his wife and acquainted her with whatso he had misdone to Abu Tammam; whereupon she grieved for him with mighty great grief and the king and his household ceased not weeping and repenting all their lives.  Moreover, they brought Abu Tammam forth of the well and the king built him a dome[FN#219] in his palace and buried him therein.  “See, then, O auspicious king” (continued the youth), “what jealousy doth and injustice and how Allah caused the Wazirs’ malice to revert upon their own necks; and I trust in the Almighty that He will empower me over all who envy me my favour with the king and show forth the truth unto him.  Indeed, I dread naught for my life from death; only I fear lest the king repent of my slaughter, for that I am guiltless of offence, and if I knew that I were guilty on any wise, my tongue would be dumb-struck.”  When the king heard this, he bowed his head groundwards in perplexity and confusion and said, “Restore him to the prison till the morrow, so we may look into his case.”

The Ninth Day.

Of Destiny or That Which is Written on the Forehead.