Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 1.djvu/406

378 in his heart, while she defended herself from him, saying, ‘I can never be thine.’ They ceased not to make love and carouse, whilst Ghanim was drowned in the sea of passion and distraction and she redoubled in cruelty and coyness, till the night brought in the darkness and let fall on them the skirts of sleep, when Ghanim rose and lit the lamps and candles and renewed the banquet and the flowers; then took her feet and kissed them, and finding them like fresh cream, pressed his face on them and said to her, ‘O my lady, have pity on the captive of thy love and the slain of thine eyes; for indeed I were whole of heart but for thee!’ And he wept awhile. ‘O my lord and light of my eyes,’ replied she, ‘by Allah, I love thee and trust in thee, but I know that I cannot be thine.’ ‘And what is there to hinder?’ asked he. Quoth she, ‘To-night, I will tell thee my story, that thou mayst accept my excuse.’ Then she threw herself upon him and twining her arms about his neck, kissed him and wheedled him, promising him her favours; and they continued to toy and laugh till love got complete possession of them. They abode thus for a whole month, sleeping nightly on one couch, but whenever he sought to enjoy her, she put him off, whilst mutual love increased upon them, till they could hardly abstain from one another. One night as they lay, side by side, both heated with wine, he put his hand to her breast and stroked it, then passed it down over her stomach to her navel. She awoke and sitting up, put her hand to her trousers and finding them fast, fell asleep again. Presently, he put out his hand a second time and stroked her and sliding down to the ribbon of her trousers, began to pull at it, whereupon she awoke and sat up. Ghanim also sat up beside her and she said to him, ‘What dost thou want?’ ‘I want to lie with thee,’ answered he, ‘and that we may deal frankly one with the other.’ Quoth she, ‘I must now expound my case to