the house had changed condition and had been renovated; so he said “O my mother, the time of my absence hath been short and when was this lodging made new?” She replied, “O my son, what day thou wast seized, they plundered our abode even to tearing up the slabs and the doors, nor did they leave us aught worth a single dirham:  indeed we passed three days without breaking our fast upon aught of victual.”  Hearing this from her quoth he, “But whence cometh all this to you, these stuffs and vessels, and who was it rebuilded this house in a space so short?  Or haply is all this I see in the land of dreams?” But quoth she, “Nay, ’tis no vision but an absolute reality and ’twas all done by my son-in-law in a single day.”  “And who may be my new brother-in-law?” he enquired, “and when didst thou give away my sister, and who married her without my leave?"[FN#177] “Hold thy peace, O my son,” rejoined she, “but for him we had died of want and hunger!” “And what may be his calling?” the Emir asked, and she answered, “A Robber!” But when her son heard this he was like to choke with anger and he cried, “What degree hath this robber that he become my brother-in-law?  Now by the tomb of my forbears I will assuredly smite his neck.”  “Cast away from thee such wild talk,” cried she, “for the mischief of another is greater than thy mischief, withal naught thereof availed him[FN#178] with a man who wrought all thou seest in half a day.”  Then she related to her son what had befallen the Kazi and the Wali from the man and how he had bastinado’d the police, showing him as he spoke the blood which had poured from their bodies upon the floor for excess of flogging; and she continued, “Presently I complained to him of my case, how the Commander of the Faithful had seized thee and imprisoned thee when he said to me, ’At this very moment I fare to the Caliph and cause him to free thy son and suffer him to return home; also to robe him and to increase his fiefs;’ whereupon he went from us and after an hour, lo and behold! thou appearedst; so but for him we had never seen thee any more.”  When her son heard these words, his wits were bewildered and he was confounded at his case, so he asked her, “What may this man be styled and what may be his name?” She answered, “We are ignorant an he have any name or not, for however much we enquired of the marble-cutters and master artificers and handi-craftsmen, they told us only that his bye-name[FN#179] is Al-Bundukani without letting us know any other.  Moreover on like wise when he sent me to fetch the Kazi he bade me tell him that Al-Bundukani had summoned him.”  Now when the Emir Alaeddin heard her name Al-Bundukani he knew that it was the Commander of the Faithful, nor could he prevent himself springing to his feet and kissing ground seven times; but as his mother beheld this she laughed and cried, “O thou brawler,[FN#180] ’tis as if he had met thee in the street and had given thee to drink a draught of clotted blood, one beyond the common![FN#181] What of thy brave words