Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 1.djvu/358

330 companions followed him without his knowledge. At the door he found his steward and said to him, ‘What is the matter?’ ‘O my lord,’ replied he, ‘what I feared for thee has come to pass!’ ‘How so?’ asked Noureddin; and the steward said, ‘Know that there remains not a dirhem’s worth, less nor more, in my hands. Here are registers containing an account of the original state of thy property and the way in which thou hast spent it.’ At this, Noureddin bowed his head and exclaimed, ‘There is no power and no virtue but in God!’ When the man who had followed him secretly to spy on him heard what the steward said, he returned to his companions and said to them, ‘Look what ye do; for Noureddin Ali is bankrupt.’ When Noureddin returned, they read trouble in his face; so one of them rose and said to him, ‘O my lord, maybe thou wilt give me leave to retire?’ ‘Why wilt thou go away to-day?’ said he. ‘My wife is brought to bed,’ replied the other; ‘and I cannot be absent from her; I wish to return and see how she does.’ So Noureddin gave him leave, whereupon another rose and said, ‘O my lord, I wish to go to my brother, for he circumcises his son to-day.’ And each made some excuse to retire, till they were all gone and Noureddin remained alone. Then he called his slave-girl and said to her, ‘O Enis el Jelis, hast thou seen what has befallen me?’ And he related to her what the steward had told him. ‘O my lord,’ replied she, ‘some nights ago I had it in my mind to speak with thee of this matter; but I heard thee reciting the following verses:

When I heard thee speak thus, I held my peace and cared not to say aught to thee.’ ‘O Enis el Jelis,’ said Noureddin, ‘thou knowest that I have not expended my