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It fortuned one night that the Sultan purposed setting out on a

journey next morning, and the elder, whose turn it was to

accompany him, was sitting conversing with his brother and said

to him, "O my brother, it is my wish that we both marry, I and

thou, two sisters; and go in to our wives on one and the same

night." "Do, O my brother, as thou desirest," the younger

replied, "for right is thy recking and surely I will comply with

thee in whatso thou sayest." So they agreed upon this and quoth

Shams al-Din, "If Allah decree that we marry two damsels and go

in to them on the same night, and they shall conceive on their

bridenights and bear children to us on the same day, and by

Allah's will thy wife bear thee a son and my wife bear me a

daughter, let us wed them either to other, for they will be

cousins." Quoth Nur al-Din, "O my brother, Shams al-Din, what

dower [FN#365] wilt thou require from my son for thy daughter?"

Quoth Shams al-Din, "I will take three thousand dinars and three

pleasure gardens and three farms; and it would not be seemly that

the youth make contract for less than this." When Nur al-Din

heard such demand he said, "What manner of dower is this thou

wouldest impose upon my son?