To return to Buddir ad Deen. Prompted by the genie and the presence of the perie, he returned to the hall, from whence he slips into the bride-chamber, where he sat down, expecting the success of his adventure. After a while the bride arrived, conducted by an old matron, who came no farther than the door, without looking in to see whether it were hump-back or another that was there, and then retired.
The beautiful bride was agreeably surprised to find instead of hump-back a handsome youth, who gracefully addressed her. "What! my dear friend," said she, "by your being here at this time of night you must be my husband's comrade?" "No, madam," said Buddir ad Deen, "I am of another quality than that ugly hump-back." "But," said she, "you do not consider that you speak degradingly of my husband." "He your husband," replied he: "can you retain those thoughts so long? Be convinced of your mistake, for so much beauty must never be sacrificed to the most contemptible of mankind. It is I that am the happy mortal for whom it is reserved. The sultan had a mind to make himself merry, by putting this trick upon the vizier your father, but he chose me to be your real husband. You might have observed how the ladies, the musicians, the dancers, your women, and all the servants of your family, were pleased with this comedy. We have sent hump-back to his stable again."
At this discourse the vizier's daughter (who was more like one dead than alive when she came into the bride-chamber) put on a gay air, which made her so handsome, that Buddir ad Deen was charmed with her graces.
"I did not expect," said she, "to meet with so pleasing a surprise; and I had condemned myself to live unhappy all my days. But my good fortune is so much the greater, that I possess in you a man worthy of my tenderest affection."
Buddir ad Deen, overjoyed to see himself possessor of so many charms, retired with his bride, and laid his vesture aside, with the bag that he had from the Jew; which, notwithstanding all the money he had dispersed, was still full.
Towards morning, while the two lovers were asleep, the genie, who had met again with the perie, said, "It is time to finish what we have so successfully carried on; let us not be overtaken by day- light, which will soon appear; go you and bring off the young man again without awaking him."
The perie went into the bed-chamber where the two lovers were fast asleep, took up Buddir ad Deen in his under vest and drawers; and in company with the genie with wonderful swiftness fled away with him to the gates of Damascus in Syria, where they arrived just at the time when the officers of the mosques, appointed for that end, were calling the people to prayers at break of day. The perie laid Buddir ad Deen softly on the ground, close by the gate, and departed with the genie.
The gate of the city being opened, and many people assembled, they were surprised to see a youth lying in his shirt and drawers upon the ground. One said, "He has been hard put to it to get away from his mistress, that he could not get time to put on his clothes." "Look," said another, "how people expose themselves; sure enough he has spent most part of the night in drinking with his friends, till he has got drunk, and then, perhaps, having occasion to go out, instead of returning, is come this length, and not having his senses about him, was overtaken with sleep." Others were of another opinion; but nobody could guess what had been the real occasion of his coming thither.
A small puff of wind happening to blow at this time, uncovered his breast, which was whiter than snow. Every one being struck with admiration at the fineness of his complexion, they spoke so loud that they awaked him.
His surprise was as great as theirs, when he found himself at the gate of a city where he had never been before, and encompassed by a crowd of people gazing at him. "Inform me," said he, "for God's sake, where I am, and what you would have?" One of the crowd spoke to him saying, "Young man, the gates of the city were just now opened, and as we came out we found you lying here in this condition: have you lain here all night? and do not you know that you are at one of the gates of Damascus?" "At one of the gates of Damascus!" answered Buddir ad Deen, "surely you mock me. When I lay down to sleep last night I was at Cairo." When he had said this, some of the people, moved with compassion for him, exclaimed, "It is a pity that such a handsome young man should have lost his senses;" and so went away.