woman took him and hid him in the shaft of the cistern[FN#349] and going forth opened the door to her husband.  Cried the Yuzbashi, “Of a truth, hath any right or reason to say that here in this house is a man?"[FN#350] and she replied, “Oh, the shame of me!  How ever, O my lord, can there be here a man?’’[FN#351] So the Yuzbashi went about seeking and searching but he came not upon any; then he went down to the Barber wight and cried, “O Man, I have found none upstairs save the womenkind;” but the Barber replied, “By Allah, O my lord, he went up before my eyes and I am still awaiting him.”  Then the Captain hurried away a second time and rummaged about, high and low, and left no place whereinto he did not pry and spy, yet he came upon no one.  He was perplext at his affair and again going down to the Barber said to him, “O Man, we have found none.”  Still the fellow said to him doggedly, “Withal a man did go within, whilst I who am his familiar here stand expecting him, and thou sayest forsooth he is not there, albeit he be abovestairs and after he went in he never came out until this tide.”  Hereupon the Captain returned to his Harem a third time and a fourth time unto the seventh time; but he found no one; so he was dazed and amazed and the going in and faring out were longsome to him.  All this and the youth concealed in the cistern shaft lay listening to their dialogue and he said, “Allah ruin this rascal Barber!” but he was sore afraid and he quaked with fright lest the Yuzbashi slay him and also slay his wife.  Now after the eighth time the Captain came down to the Barber and said to him, “An thou saw him enter, up along with me and seek for him.”  The man did accordingly, but when the two had examined every site, they came upon no one; so the Barber was stupefied and said to himself, “Whoso went up before me and I looking upon him, whither can he have wended?” Then he fell to pondering and presently said, “By Allah, verily this is a wondrous matter that we have not discovered him;” but the Yuzbashi cried fiercely, “By the life of my head and by Him who created all creatures and numbered the numberings thereof, an I find not this fellow needs must I do thee die.”  The Barber of his exceeding terror fell to rummaging all the places but it fortuned that he did not look into the shaft of the cistern; however at last he said, “There remaineth for us only the cistern shaft ;”—­ -And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day, and fell silent, and ceased saying her permitted say.  Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was

          The Seven Hundred and Thirty-seventh Night,