Page:Tales from the Arabic, Vol 1.djvu/43

23 behind the curtain, laughing, and calling to the servant who had brought Aboulhusn to the palace, said to him, “Carry this fellow to his own place.” So Mesrour took him up [and carrying him to his own house], set him down in the saloon. Then he went forth from him and shutting the saloon-door upon him, returned to the Khalif, who slept till the morrow.

As for Aboulhusn, he gave not over sleeping till God the Most High brought on the morning, when he awoke, crying out and saying, “Ho, Tuffaheh! Ho, Rahet el Culoub! Ho, Miskeh! Ho, Tuhfeh!” And he gave not over calling upon the slave-girls till his mother heard him calling upon strange damsels and rising, came to him and said, “The name of God encompass thee! Arise, O my son, O Aboulhusn! Thou dreamest.” So he opened his eyes and finding an old woman at his head, raised his eyes and said to her, “Who art thou?” Quoth she, “I am thy mother;” and he answered, “Thou liest! I am the Commander of the Faithful, the Vicar of God.” Whereupon his mother cried out and said to him, “God preserve thy reason! Be silent, O my son, and cause not the loss of our lives and the spoiling of thy wealth, [as will assuredly betide,] if any hear this talk and carry it to the Khalif.”

So he rose from his sleep and finding himself in his own saloon and his mother by him, misdoubted of his wit and said to her, “By Allah, O my mother, I saw myself in a dream in a palace, with slave-girls and servants about me and in attendance upon me, and I sat upon the throne of the Khalifate and ruled. By Allah,