Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 4.djvu/335

305 made an end of this also, when he bethought himself and finding that he had nothing left to spend, sold the house itself and spent the purchase-money.

Presently, the man who had bought the house came to him and said, ‘Look thyself out a lodging, for I have need of my house.’ So he bethought himself and considering that he had nothing requiring a house, except his wife, who had borne him a son and daughter,—for he had not a servant left,—hired a room in one of the mean lodging houses and there took up his abode, after having lived in honour and luxury, with many servants and much wealth, and came to lack of one day’s bread. Quoth his wife, ‘I warned thee of this and exhorted thee to obey thy father’s injunction, and thou wouldst not hearken to me; but there is no power and no virtue save in God the Most High, the Supreme! Whence shall the little ones eat? Arise, go round to thy friends, the sons of the merchants: it may be they will give thee somewhat on which we may live this day.’ So he went the round of his friends, one by one; but they all hid their faces from him and gave him nothing but injurious and revolting words; and he returned to his wife and said to her, ‘They have given me nothing.’ Thereupon she went out to beg of her neighbours wherewithal to sustain themselves and came to a woman, whom she had known in former days. When she came in to her and she saw her plight, she rose and receiving her kindly, wept and said, ‘What hath befallen thee?’ So she told her of her husband’s conduct, and the other said, ‘Welcome and fair welcome! Whatever thou needest, seek it of me, without price.’ ‘May God abundantly requite thee!’ answered she. Then her friend gave her as much victual as would suffice herself and her family a whole month, and she took it and returned to her lodging. When her husband saw her, he wept and said, ‘Whence hadst thou that?’ ‘I got it of such a woman,’ answered she; ‘for,

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