Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 4.djvu/308

278 that he was in love with her, whereupon she turned from him; but he abode in his place three days, without tasting food, with his eyes fixed on her face.

When she saw that he departed not from her, she went to her people and acquainted them with her case, and they set the boys of the village on him, who pelted him with stones and bruised his ribs and broke his head; but, for all this, he would not budge. Then the people of the village took counsel together to kill him; but one of them came to me and told me of his condition, and I went out to him and found him lying prostrate on the ground. So I wiped the blood from his face and carried him to the convent, where I dressed his wounds, and he abode with me fourteen days. But, as soon as he could walk, he left the convent and returned to the door of the woman’s shop, where he sat gazing on her as before. When she saw him, she came out to him and said, ‘By Allah, thou movest me to pity! If thou wilt enter my faith, I will marry thee.’ ‘God forbid,’ answered he, ‘that I should put off the faith of the Unity and enter that of Plurality!’ Quoth she, ‘Come in with me to my house and take thy will of me and go thy ways in peace.’ ‘Not so,’ answered he, ‘I will not barter the pious service of twelve years for the lust of a moment.’ ‘Then depart from me forthright,’ said she; and he rejoined, ‘My heart will not suffer me to do that;’ whereupon she turned her face from him. Presently the boys found him out and began to throw stones at him; and he fell on his face, saying, ‘Verily, God is my keeper, who sent down the Book and who protecteth the righteous!’ At this juncture, I sallied forth and driving away the boys, lifted his head from the ground and heard him say, ‘O my God, unite me with her in Paradise!’ Then I took him in my arms, to carry