Her ears were adorned with pendants of pearls and on her head she wore a kerchief[528] of brocade，brand new and broidered with jewels of price.And she had thrust the skirt of her shift into her trousers string being busy with some household business.So when I saw her in this undress，I was confounded at her beauty，for she was like a shining sun.Then she said，with soft，choice speech，never heard I sweeter，'O my mother！is this he who cometh to read the letter？''It is，'replied the old woman；and she put out her hand to me with the letter.Now between her and the door was a distance of about half a rod[529]；so I stretched forth my hand to take the letter from her and thrust head and shoulders within the door，thinking to draw near her and read the letter when，before I knew what her design was，the old woman butted her head against my back and pushed me forwards with the letter in my hand，so that ere I could take thought I found myself in the middle of the hall far beyond the vestibule.Then she entered，faster than a flash of blinding leven，and had naught to do but to shut the door.And Shahrazed perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the One Hundred and Twenty-third Night，She said，It hath reached me，O auspicious King，that the youth Aziz pursued to Taj al Muluk：'When the old woman pushed me forwards I found myself，ere I could think，inside the vestibule；
and the old woman entered faster than a flash of blinding levee and had naught to do but to shut the door.When the girl saw me in the vestibule，she came up to me and strained me to her bosom，and threw me to the floor；then she sat astraddle upon my breast and kneaded my belly with her fingers，till I well nigh lost my senses.Thereupon she took me by the hand and led me，unable to resist for the violence of her pressure，through seven vestibules，whilst the old woman forewent us with the lighted candle，till we came to a great saloon with four estrades whereon a horseman might play Polo.[530] Here she released me，saying，'Open thine eyes.'So I opened them still giddy for the excess of her embracing and pressing，and saw that the whole saloon was built of the finest marbles and alabasters，and all its furniture was of silk and brocade even to the cushions and mattresses.
Therein also were two benches of yellow brass and a couch of red gold，set with pearls and precious stones，befitting none save Kings like thyself.And off the saloon were smaller sitting rooms；and the whole place was redolent of wealth.Then she asked，'O Aziz，which is liefer to thee life or death？''Life，'answered I；and she said，'If life be liefer to thee，marry me.'
Quoth I，'Indeed I should hate to marry the like of thee.'Quoth she，'If thou marry me thou wilt at least be safe from the daughter of Dalilah the Wily One.'[531]I asked，'And who be that daughter of the Wily One？'Whereupon she laughed and replied，''Tis she who hath companied with thee this day for a year and four months （may the Almighty destroy and afflict her with one worse than herself！） By Allah，there liveth not a more perfidious than she.How many men hath she not slain before thee and what deeds hath she not done.Nor can I understand how thou hast been all the time in her company，yet she hath not killed thee nor done thee a mischief.'When I heard her words，I marvelled with exceeding marvel and said，'O my lady，who made thee to know her？' Said she，'I know her as the age knoweth its calamities；but now I would fain have thee tell me all that hath passed between you two，that I may ken the cause of thy deliverance from her.'So I told her all that had happened between us，including the story of my cousin Azizah.She expressed her pity when she heard of the death，and her eyes ran over with tears and she claps hand on hand and cried out，Her youth was lost on Allah's way，[532] and may the Lord bless thee for her good works！By Allah，O Aziz，she who died for thee was the cause of thy preservation from the daughter of Dalia the Wily；and，but for her，thou hadst been lost.And now she is dead I fear for thee from the Crafty One's perfidy and mischief；but my throat is choking and I cannot speak.'Quoth I Ay，by Allah：all this happened even as thou sayest.'And she shook her head and cried，'There liveth not this day the like of Azizah.I continued，'And on her death bed she bade me repeat to my lover these two saws，'Faith is fair！Unfaith is foul''When she heard me say this，she exclaimed，'O Aziz，by Allah those same words saved thee from dying by her hand；and now my heart is at ease for thee from her，for she will never kill thee and the daughter of thy uncle preserved thee during her lifetime and after her death.By Allah，I have desired thee day after day but could not get at thee till this time when I tricked thee and outwitted thee；for thou art a raw youth[533] and knowest not the wiles of young women nor the deadly guile of old women.'Rejoined I，No，by Allah！'Then said she to me，'Be of good cheer and eyes clear；the dead hath found Allah's grace，and the live shall be in good case.Thou art a handsome youth and I do not desire thee but according to the ordinance of Allah and His Apostle （on whom be salutation and salvation！）.Whatever thou requirest of money and stuff，thou shalt have forthright without stint，and I will not impose any toil on thee，no，never！，for there is with me always bread baked hot and water in pot.All I need of thee is that thou do with me even as the cock doth.'I asked 'And what doth the cock？'Upon this she laughed and clapped her hands and fell over on her back for excess of merriment then she sat up and smiled and said，'O light of my eyes，really dost thou not know what cock's duty is？''No，by Allah！'replied I，and she，'The cock's duty is to eat and drink and tread.'I was abashed at her words and asked，'Is that the cock's duty？
