Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 5.djvu/362

328 the cushion, unseen of her. Then she prayed for her and went away.

At nightfall, Aboul Feth came home and sat down upon the carpet, whilst his wife brought him food and he ate what sufficed him and washed his hands; after which he leant back upon the cushion. Presently, he caught sight of a corner of the veil protruding from under the cushion; so he pulled it out and knowing it for that he had sold to the young man, at once suspected his wife of unchastity. So he called her and said, “Whence hadst thou this veil?” And she swore an oath to him [that she knew not whence it came,] saying, “None hath come to me but thou.” Then he was silent for fear of scandal, and said in himself, “If I open up this chapter, I shall be put to shame before all Baghdad;” for he was one of the intimates of the Khalif and had nothing for it but to hold his peace. So he asked no questions, but said to his wife, whose name was Muhziyeh, “I hear that thy mother lies ill of heart-ache and all the women are with her, weeping over her; so do thou go to her.” Accordingly, she repaired to her mother’s house and found her well, ailing nothing; and the latter said to her, “What brings thee here at this hour?” So she told her what her husband had said and sat with her awhile; but, presently, up came porters, who brought all her clothes and paraphernalia and what not else belonged to her of goods and vessels from her husband’s house and deposited them in that of her mother. When the latter saw this, she said to her daughter, “Tell me what hath passed between thee and thy husband, to bring about this.” But she swore to her that she knew not the cause thereof and that there had befallen nothing between them, to call for this conduct. Quoth her mother, “Needs must there be a cause for this.” And she answered, saying, “I know of none, and after this, with God the Most High be it to make provision!” Whereupon her mother fell a-weeping