Page:Tales from the Arabic, Vol 1.djvu/275

250 He would deliver me from her. When I arose in the morning, there came the chamber-woman and said to me, “Hast thou occasion for the bath?” “No,” answered I; and she said, “Art thou for breakfast?” But I replied, “No;” and on this wise I abode three days, tasting neither meat nor drink.

When the damsel saw me in this plight, she said to me, “O man, tell me thy story, for, by Allah, an I may avail to thy deliverance, I will assuredly further thee thereto.” I gave ear to her speech and put faith in her loyalty and told her the story of the damsel whom I had seen [at the lattice] and how I had fallen in love with her; whereupon quoth she, “If the girl belong to me, that which I possess is thine, and if she belong to my father, I will demand her of him and deliver her to thee.” Then she fell to calling slave-girl after slave-girl and showing them to me, till I saw the damsel whom I loved and said, “This is she.” Quoth my wife, “Let not thy heart be troubled, for this is my slave-girl. My father gave her to me and I give her to thee. So comfort thyself and be of good heart and cheerful eye.”

Then, when it was night, she brought her to me, after she had adorned her and perfumed her, and said to her, “Gainsay not this thy lord in aught that he shall seek of thee.” When she came to bed with me, I said in myself, “Verily, this damsel is more generous than I!” Then I sent away the slave-girl and drew not nigh unto her, but arose forthright and betaking myself to my wife, lay with her and did away her maidenhead. She straightway