Now it happened that day that the King went to see his Queen, and, finding her in tears, enquired the cause of her grief.
“Abul’s wife has just been to say Abul is dead.”
“No,” said the King; “you mean that Abul has just been to say that his wife is dead.”
“No,” replied the Queen, “Abul is dead.”
“Not at all,” returned the King; “Abul’s wife is dead,” and they fell out and quarrelled about it.
Then the King said: “Well, we’ll make a contract: if I am wrong, then I’ll give you a present of a garden.”
And the Queen said: “Very well; and if I am mistaken, I will give you my picture gallery.”
On this the King and Queen together went with a number of followers to the house of Abul.
When Abul and his wife saw them coming they were so frightened that they did not know what to do, and, having no time to run away, they both got under the cloth they were sewing, and lay quite still as though they were dead.
The King and Queen coming up were surprised indeed to find that both were really dead; but the King, remembering his promise to his wife, said: “Now, if we only could find out who died first.”