Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 1.djvu/368

340 and in the midst a great chandelier of gold. When the Khalif entered, he was wont to have all the windows opened and to order his boon-companion Isaac ben Ibrahim and the slave-girls to sing, till his care left him and his heart was lightened. Now the keeper of the garden was an old man by name Gaffer Ibrahim, and he had found, from time to time, on going out on his occasions, idlers taking their case with courtezans in the alley leading to the door of the garden, at which he was sore enraged; so he complained to the Khalif, who said, ‘Whomsoever thou findest at the door of the garden, do with him as thou wilt.’ As chance would have it, he had occasion to go abroad that very day and found these two sleeping at the gate, covered with one veil; whereupon, ‘By Allah,’ said he, ‘this is fine! These two know not that the Khalif has given me leave to kill any one whom I may catch at the door of the garden: but I will give them a sound drubbing, that none may come near the gate in future.’ So he cut a green palm-stick and went out to them and raising his arm, till the whiteness of his armpit appeared, was about to lay on to them, when he bethought himself and said, ‘O Ibrahim, wilt thou beat them, knowing not their case? Maybe they are strangers or wayfarers, and destiny hath led them hither. I will uncover their faces and look on them.’ So he lifted up the veil from their faces and said, ‘They are a handsome pair! It were not fitting that I should beat them.’ Then he covered their faces again, and going to Noureddin’s feet, began to rub them, whereupon the young man awoke, and seeing an old man of venerable appearance rubbing his feet, was abashed and drawing them in, sat up; then took Ibrahim’s hand and kissed it. Quoth the old man, ‘O my son, whence art thou?’ ‘O my lord,’ replied Noureddin, ‘we are strangers.’ And the tears started to his eyes. ‘O my son,’ said Ibrahim, ‘know that the Prophet (whom God