Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 7.djvu/173

153 excusable!’ Then they went out to the troops and dismissed them after which they went in to Hassan and saluted him. When they saw him in sorry case, with his colour paled and his body wasted, they wept for very pity and sat with him and comforted him and cheered him with discourse, relating to him all the wonders and rarities they had seen by the way and what had befallen the bridegroom with the bride. They abode with him thus a whole month, soothing and caressing him; but every day sickness was added to his sickness, which when they saw, they wept sore for him, and the youngest more than any of them.

At the end of this time, the princesses were minded to ride forth a-hunting and invited their sister to accompany them; but she said, ‘By Allah, O my sisters, I cannot go forth with you, whilst my brother is in this plight. Rather will I sit with him and comfort him, till he be restored to health and there cease from him that which is with him of affliction.’ They thanked her for her humanity and said to her, ‘God will requite thee all thou dost with this stranger.’ Then they rode forth, taking with them twenty days’ victual; and as soon as the youngest princess knew that they were far from the palace, she went in to Hassan and said to him, ‘Come, show me where thou sawest the maidens.’ He rejoiced in her words, making sure of attaining his desire, and answered, ‘In the name of God! On my head!’ Then he essayed to rise and show her the place, but could not walk; so she took him in her arms, and opening the staircase door, carried him up to the top of the palace, and he showed her the pavilion and the pool of water, where he had seen the girls.

Then she said to him, ‘O my brother, set forth to me their case and how they came.’ So he described them to her and especially the damsel of whom he was enamoured; whereupon she knew her and her colour changed and she