Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 1.djvu/176

158 of thy visit to me this day.” Then I said to the old woman, “If he will not take the money, give him back the stuff.” “By Allah!” said he, “I will take nothing from thee! I make thee a present of it all, in return for one kiss; for that is more precious to me than all that is in my shop.” Quoth the old woman, “What will a kiss profit thee?” Then she said to me, “O my daughter, thou hearest what this young man says. What harm will it do thee, if he take from thee a kiss and thou get the stuffs for nothing?” “Dost thou not know,” answered I, “that I am bound by an oath?” But she said, “Hold thy tongue and let him kiss thee, and thou shalt keep thy money and no harm shall betide thee.” And she ceased not to persuade me till I put my head into the noose and consented. So I veiled my eyes and held up the edge of my veil between me and the street, that the passers-by might not see me; and he put his mouth to my cheek under the veil. But, instead of kissing me, he bit me so hard that he tore the flesh of my cheek, and I swooned away. The old woman took me in her arms and when I came to myself, I found the shop shut up and her lamenting over me and saying, “Thank God it was no worse!” Then she said to me, “Come, take courage and let us go home, lest the thing get wind and thou be disgraced. When thou returnest, do thou feign sickness and lie down and cover thyself up, and I will bring thee a remedy that will soon heal the wound.” So, after awhile, I arose, full of fear and anxiety, and went little by little, till I came to the house, where I lay down and gave out that I was ill. When it was night, my husband came in to me and said, “O my lady, what has befallen thee in this excursion?” Quoth I, “I am not well: I have a pain in my head.” Then he lighted a candle and drew near and looked at me and said, “What is that wound on thy cheek, in the soft part?” Said I, “When I went out to-day to buy stuffs, with thy leave, a camel laden