Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 1.djvu/287

265 bath and changed my clothes. I had now no money left and the devil prompted me to sell the necklet, that destiny might be accomplished; so I took it to the market and handed it to a broker, who made me sit down in the shop of my landlord and waited till the market was full, when he took the necklet and offered it for sale privily without my knowledge. The price bidden for it was two thousand dinars; but the broker returned and said to me, ‘This necklet is a brass counterfeit of Frank manufacture, and a thousand dirhems have been bidden for it.’ ‘Yes,’ answered I; ‘I knew it to be brass, for we had it made for such an one, that we might mock her: and now my wife has inherited it and we wish to sell it; so go and take the thousand dirhems.’ When the broker heard this, his suspicions were roused; so he carried the necklet to the chief of the market, who took it to the prefect of police and said to him, ‘This necklet was stolen from me, and we have found the thief in the habit of a merchant.’ So the officers fell on me unawares and brought me to the prefect, who questioned me and I told him what I had told the broker: but he laughed and said, ‘This is not the truth.’ Then, before I knew what was toward, his people stripped me and beat me with rods on my sides, till for the smart of the blows I said, ‘I did steal it,’ bethinking me that it was better to confess that I stole it than let them know that she who owned it had been murdered in my house, lest they should put me to death for her. So they wrote down that I had stolen it and cut off my hand. The stump they seared with boiling oil and I swooned away: but they gave me wine to drink, and I revived and taking up my hand, was returning to my lodging, when the landlord said to me, ‘After what has passed, thou must leave my house and look for another lodging, since thou art convicted of theft.’ ‘O my lord,’ said I, ‘have patience with me two or three days, till I look me out a new lodging.’ ‘So be