Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 4.djvu/50

28 So he carried him to his house, where he fell to bidding his family farewell, and the house was filled with a clamour of weeping and lamentation and calling on God for help. Then Salih said to him, ‘I have bethought me that God may peradventure vouchsafe thee relief at the hands of the Barmecides. Come, let us go to the house of Yehya ben Khalid.’ So they went to Yehya’s house, and Mensour told him his case, whereat he was sore concerned and bowed his head awhile; then raising it, he called his treasurer and said to him, ‘How much money have we in our treasury?’ ‘Five thousand dirhems,’ answered the treasurer, and Yehya bade him bring them and sent a message to his son Fezl, saying, ‘I am offered for sale estates of great price, that may never be laid waste; so send me somewhat of money.’ Fezl sent him a thousand thousand dirhems, and he despatched a like message to his son Jaafer, who also sent him a thousand thousand dirhems; nor did he leave sending to his kinsmen of the Barmecides, till he had collected from them a great sum of money for Mensour. But the latter and Salih knew not of this; and Mensour said to Yehya, ‘O my lord, I have laid hold upon thy skirt for I know not whither to look for the money but to thee; so discharge thou the rest of my debt for me, in accordance with thy wonted generosity, and make me thy freed slave.’ Thereupon Yehya bowed his head and wept; then he said to a page, ‘Harkye, boy, the Commander of the Faithful gave our slave-girl Denanir a jewel of great price: go thou to her and bid her send it us.’ The page went out and presently returned with the jewel, whereupon quoth Yehya, ‘O Mensour, I bought this jewel of the merchants for the Commander of the Faithful, for two hundred thousand dinars, and he gave it to our slave-girl Denanir the lutanist. When he sees it with thee, he will know it and spare thy life and do thee honour for our sake; and now thy money is complete.’