Page:Tales from the Arabic, Vol 1.djvu/255

230 “I am a singer.” They will laugh and say, “Come, [sing] to us.” And when thou singest, the folk will know thee and bespeak one another of thee; so shall thou become known in the city and thine affairs will prosper.’

So he went round about, as the druggist bade him, till the sun grew hot, but found none drinking. Then he entered a by-street, that he might rest himself, and seeing there a handsome and lofty house, stood in its shade and fell to observing the goodliness of its ordinance. As he was thus engaged, behold, a window opened and there appeared thereat a face, as it were the moon. Quoth she, ‘What aileth thee to stand there? Dost thou want aught?’ And he answered, ‘I am a stranger,’ and acquainted her with his case; whereupon quoth she, ‘What sayst thou to meat and drink and the enjoyment of a fair-face[d one] and getting thee what thou mayst spend?’ ‘O my lady,’ answered he, ‘this is my desire and that in quest whereof I am going about.’

So she opened the door to him and brought him in. Then she seated him at the upper end of the room and set food before him. So he ate and drank and lay with her and swived her. Then she sat down in his lap and they toyed and laughed and kissed till the day was half spent, when her husband came home and she could find nothing for it but to hide the singer in a rug, in which she rolled him up. The husband entered and seeing the place disordered and smelling the odour of wine, questioned her of this. Quoth she, ‘I had with me a