" As soon as they had finished these words, the lady
overturned the frying-pan, and entered again into the open part
of the wall, which shut immediately, and became as it was before.
The cook-maid was mightily frightened at this, and, coming a
little to herself, went to take up the fishes that fell upon the
earth, but found them blacker than coal, and not fit to be
carried to the sultan. She was grievously troubled at it, and
fell a-weeping most bitterly: Alas! says she, what will become of
me? If I tell the sultan what I have seen, I am sure he will not
believe me, but will be mightily enraged against me.
Whilst she was thus bewailing herself, in comes the grand vizier,
and asked her if the fishes were ready? She told him all that had
happened, which, we may easily imagine, astonished him mightily;
but, without speaking a word to the sultan, he invented an excuse
that satisfied him, and sending immediately for the fisherman,
bid him bring four more such fish; for a misfortune had befallen
the other, that they were not fit to be carried to the sultan.
The fisherman, without saying any thing of what the genie had
told him, in order to excuse himself from bringing them that very
day, told the vizier he had a great way to go for them, but would
certainly bring them to-morrow.
Accordingly the fisherman went away by night, and, coming to the
pond, threw in his nets betimes next morning, took four such
fishes as the former, and brought them to the vizier at the hour
appointed.
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