Then the rest of the women of the palace came all to him and lifted him into a sitting posture, when he found himself upon a couch, stuffed all with floss-silk and raised a cubit’s height from the ground.[FN#19] So they seated him upon it and propped him up with a pillow, and he looked at the apartment and its greatness and saw those eunuchs and slave-girls in attendance upon him and at his head, whereat he laughed at himself and said, “By Allah, it is not as I were on wake, and [yet] I am not asleep!” Then he arose and sat up, whilst the damsels laughed at him and hid [their laughter] from him; and he was confounded in his wit and bit upon his finger.  The bite hurt him and he cried “Oh!” and was vexed; and the Khalif watched him, whence he saw him not, and laughed.

Presently Aboulhusn turned to a damsel and called to her; whereupon she came to him and he said to her, “By the protection of God, O damsel, am I Commander of the Faithful?” “Yes, indeed,” answered she; “by the protection of God thou in this time art Commander of the Faithful.”  Quoth he, “By Allah, thou liest, O thousandfold strumpet!” Then he turned to the chief eunuch and called to him, whereupon he came to him and kissing the earth before him, said, “Yes, O Commander of the Faithful.”  “Who is Commander of the Faithful?” asked Aboulhusn.  “Thou,” replied the eunuch and Aboulhusn said, “Thou liest, thousandfold catamite that thou art!” Then he turned to another eunuch and said to him, “O my chief,[FN#20] by the protection of God, am I Commander of the Faithful?” “Ay, by Allah, O my lord!” answered he.  “Thou in this time art Commander of the Faithful and Vicar of the Lord of the Worlds.”  Aboulhusn laughed at himself and misdoubted of his reason and was perplexed at what he saw and said, “In one night I am become Khalif!  Yesterday I was Aboulhusn the Wag, and to-day I am Commander of the Faithful.”  Then the chief eunuch came up to him and said, “O Commander of the Faithful, (the name of God encompass thee!) thou art indeed Commander of the Faithful and Vicar of the Lord of the Worlds!” And the slave-girls and eunuchs came round about him, till he arose and abode wondering at his case.

Presently, one of the slave-girls brought him a pair of sandals wrought with raw silk and green silk and embroidered with red gold, and he took them and put them in his sleeve, whereat the slave cried out and said, “Allah!  Allah!  O my lord, these are sandals for the treading of thy feet, so thou mayst enter the draught-house.”  Aboulhusn was confounded and shaking the sandals from his sleeve, put them on his feet, whilst the Khalif [well-nigh] died of laughter at him.  The slave forewent him to the house of easance, where he entered and doing his occasion, came out into the chamber, whereupon the slave- girls brought him a basin of gold and an ewer of silver and poured water on his hands and he made the ablution.