Page:Sinbad the sailor & other stories from the Arabian nights.djvu/313

 when he came to her he found her weeping and waiting for his coming to condole with him on the loss of Abu-I-Hasan. And when it came to a clear misunderstanding between them as to which was dead—Abu-I-Hasan or Nuzhat-el-Fuad,—or, at the furthest, which had died first, the Khalifeh settled the matter in his own mind by turning to Mesrur, his executioner, and saying, "Truly, there is little sense in a woman."

"Jest not with me," cried Zubeydeh, laughing contemptously. "Is it not enough that Abu-I-Hasan is dead, that thou shouldst seek to bury his wife with him! Cease! Nuzhat-el-Fuad came to me in grief, mourning the death of Abu-I-Hasan."

"Cease to thee!" replied Er-Rashid, "for Abu-I-Hasan came since to me, mourning the death of Nuzhat-el-Fuad. Silence, woman! It is Nuzhat-el-Fuad who is dead." Then Zubeydeh recounted all the facts of the case, but the Khalifeh only laughed and reiterated: "It is certainly Nuzhat-el-Fuad who is dead, and not Abu-I-Hasan."

And so they continued to contradict each other until the Khalifeh grew very angry, and, thinking to settle the matter easily, sent Mesrur in all haste to the house of Abu-I-Hasan to ascertain the truth.

The Executioner set forth running at full speed, and no sooner was he gone than the Khalifeh said to Zubeydeh, "Wilt thou make me a wager?" "I will," said she, "for certain am I that Abu-I-Hasan is dead." "And equally certain am I that none but Nuzhat-el-Fuad is dead." So the Khalifeh staked his Garden of Delight against Zubeydeh's Hall of Statues, and, when this was agreed upon, they waited impatiently for Mesrur's return. 217