Page:Tales from the Arabic, Vol 2.djvu/48

32 clothes, took the bowls and water-can and wrapped them up in the napkins. Then be took his shroud under his arm and went out. The doorkeepers thought that he was the washer and said to him, ‘Hast thou made an end of the washing, so we may tell the Amir?’ ‘Yes,’ answered the sharper and made off to his lodging, where he found El Merouzi soliciting his wife and saying to her, ‘Nay, by thy life, thou wilt never again look upon his face; for that by this time he is buried. I myself escaped not from them but after travail and trouble, and if he speak, they will put him to death.’ Quoth she, ‘And what wilt thou have of me?’ ‘Accomplish my desire of thee,’ answered he, ‘and heal my disorder, for I am better than thy husband.’ And he fell a-toying with her.

When Er Razi heard this, he said, ‘Yonder wittol lusteth after my wife; but I will do him a mischief.’ Then he rushed in upon them, and when El Merouzi saw him, he marvelled at him and said to him, ‘How didst thou make thine escape?’ So he told him the trick he had played and they abode talking of that which they had collected from the folk [by way of alms], and indeed they had gotten great store of money. Then said El Merouzi, ‘Verily, mine absence hath been prolonged and fain would I return to my own country.’ Quoth Er Rasi,Razi, [sic] ‘As thou wilt;’ and the other said, ‘Let us divide the money we have gotten and do thou go