Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 6.djvu/273

245 not stir hence till you both return.’ ‘I hear and obey,’ answered he and went away.

Presently, there came up an ass-driver, a scavenger, who had been out of work for a week, and she called to him, saying, ‘Hither, O ass-driver!’ So he came to her and she said, ‘Knowest thou my son the dyer?’ ‘Yes,’ answered he; ‘I know him.’ And she said, ‘The poor fellow is insolvent and loaded with debts, and as often as he is put in prison, I set him free. Now they are about to declare him bankrupt and I am going to return the goods to their owners; so do thou lend me thine ass for that purpose and take this dinar to his hire. When I am gone, take the handsaw and empty out the vats and jars and break them, that, if there come an officer from the Cadi’s court, he may find nothing in the dyery.’ Quoth he, ‘I owe the Hajj a kindness and will do somewhat for the love of God.’

So she laid the things on the ass and made for her own house; and [God] the Protector protected her, so that she arrived there in safety and went in to her daughter Zeyneb, who said to her, ‘O my mother, my heart has been with thee! What hast thou done by way of roguery?’ ‘I have played off four tricks on four people,’ answered Delileh; ‘ [sic]the wife of the Chief Usher, a young merchant, a dyer and an ass-driver, and have brought thee all their spoil on the latter’s ass.’ ‘O my mother,’ said Zeyneb, ‘thou wilt nevermore be able to go about the town, for fear of the Chief Usher, whose wife’s clothes and jewellery thou hast taken, and the merchant whom thou hast stripped, and the dyer whose customer’s goods thou hast stolen and the owner of the ass.’ ‘Pshaw, my daughter!’ rejoined the old woman, ‘I reck not of them, save the ass-driver, who knows me.’

Meanwhile, the dyer bought the meat-patties and set out for the house, followed by his servant, bearing the food on his head. On his way thither, he passed his shop,