Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 6.djvu/271

243 and eat and sleep with them.’ So he gave her the keys, one big and one small and one crooked, and said to her, ‘The big key is that of the house, the crooked one that of the saloon and the little one that of the upper chamber.’

Delileh took the keys and fared on, followed by the lady and the young merchant, till she came to the street in which was the house. She opened the door and entered, followed by the lady, to whom said she, ‘O my daughter, this,’ pointing to the saloon, ‘is the lodging of the Sheikh Aboulhemlat; but go thou into the upper chamber and loose thy veil and wait till I come to thee.’ So she went up and sat down. Presently up came the young merchant, whom Delileh carried into the saloon, saying, ‘Sit down, whilst I fetch my daughter and show her to thee.’ So he sat down and the old woman went up to Khatoun, who said to her, ‘I wish to visit the Sheikh, before the folk come.’ ‘O my daughter,’ said the old woman, ‘we fear for thee.’ ‘Why so?’ asked Khatoun. ‘Because,’ answered Delileh, ‘here is a son of mine, a natural who knows not summer from winter, but goes ever naked. He is the Sheikh’s deputy, and if he saw a girl like thee come to visit him, he would snatch her earrings and wound her ears and tear her silken clothes. So do thou doff thy jewellery and clothes and I will keep them for thee, till thou hast made thy visit.’ So she did off her [upper] clothes and jewels and gave them to the old woman, who said, ‘I will lay them for thee on the Sheikh’s curtain, that a blessing may betide thee.’

Then she went out, leaving the lady in her shift and trousers, and hid the clothes and jewels in a place on the stairs; after which she betook herself to the young merchant, whom she found awaiting the girl, and he said,