Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 1.djvu/260

238 brought me the amount, and I counted it and gave receipts for it, then took it and returned to my Khan. One day I went to the bath and returedreturned [sic] to the Khan, where I broke my fast on a cup of wine, after which I slept a little. When I awoke, I ate a fowl, and scenting myself, repaired to the shop of a merchant called Bedreddin el Bustani, who welcomed me; and I sat talking with him till the market should open. Presently, there came up a lady of stately figure, wearing a magnificent head-dress and exhaling perfumes, as she walked along with a swimming gait. She stopped before Bedreddin and saluted him, raising her kerchief and showing a pair of large black eyes. He returned her salute and stood talking with her; and when I heard her speech, the love of her got hold upon my heart. Then she said to Bedreddin, ‘Hast thou any stuffs of figured cloth of gold?’ So he brought out to her a piece that he had had of me and she bought it of him for twelve hundred dirhems, saying, ‘I will take it with me and send thee the price.’ ‘It may not be, O my lady,’ answered he. ‘This is the owner of the stuff and I owe him the price of it.’ ‘Out on thee!’ said she. ‘Do I not use to take great store of costly stuffs of thee, at a greater profit than thou askest, and send thee the money?’ ‘Yes,’ rejoined he; ‘but I am in pressing need of the price to-day.’ With this she took the piece of stuff and threw it back into his lap, saying, ‘You merchants have no respect for any one!’ Then she turned to go, and I felt as if my soul went with her; so I rose and stopped her, saying, ‘O my lady, favour me by retracing thy gracious steps!’ She smiled and saying, ‘For thy sake, I will return,’ came back and sat down in the shop opposite me. Then I said to Bedreddin, ‘What is the price set upon this piece?’ And he replied, ‘Eleven hundred dirhems.’ ‘The other hundred shall be thy profit,’ rejoined I. ‘Give me a piece of paper and I will write thee a discharge for