In our last episode, a group of wartime travelers attempts to escape the Prussian-occupied city of Rouen. They includea prostitute named Boule de Suif and are being held hostage at an inn by a Prussian officer who refuses to let them leave the town of Totes, where they are marooned after a snowstorm.

“Boule de Suif,” translated variously as "Dumpling," "Butterball," "Ball of Fat," "Tallow Ball," or "Ball of Lard," is a famous short story by the late 19th-century French writer Guy de Maupassant, first published in 1880.

Some say half-truths are just "storytelling." Others say they're innocent exaggerations. And some say they are just lies, plain and simple- no matter how you spin it. There are endless topics that we aren't fully honest about; and it's time to spill the beans.

Welcome to The Arabian Nights Entertainments! This is the third of 16 parts that make up Andrew Lang’s The Arabian Nights Entertainments. In this series, you’ll hear some familiar stories, some new stories, and even stories within stories. Today we will begin to hear about an unusual dinner party in The Story of the Three Dervishes, Sons of Kings, and of Five Ladies of Bagdad. We’ll also hear The Story of the First Dervish, Son of a King, and the beginning of The Story of the Second Dervish, Son of a King; the third dervish’s story will be part of our next episode.