Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 7.djvu/262

240 with his hand, so that what was thereon fell to the ground. The old woman cried out and buffeted her face; then she rose and restored the fallen things to their places, saying in herself, ‘By Allah, methinks Queen Nour el Huda hath sent a devil to torment me, and he hath played me this trick! I beg God the Most High to deliver me from her and ensure me against her wrath, for, O Lord, if she deal thus abominably with her sister, beating and crucifying her, dear as she is to her father, how will she do with a stranger like myself, against whom she is incensed?’

Then said she, ‘I conjure thee, O devil, by the Most Merciful God, the Bountiful, the High of Estate, the Mighty of Dominion, Creator of men and Jinn, and by the writing upon the seal of Solomon son of David (on whom be peace!), speak to me and answer me!’ Quoth Hassan, ‘I am no devil; I am Hassan, the afflicted, the distracted lover.’ Then he took the cap from his head and appeared to the old woman, who knew him and taking him apart, said to him, ‘What is come to thy wit, that thou returnest hither? Go and hide; for, if this wicked woman have tormented thy wife thus, and she her sister, how will she do, if she light on thee?’

Then she told him all that had befallen his wife and that wherein she was of duresse and misery and torment, adding, ‘And indeed the queen repents her of having let thee go and hath sent one after thee, promising him a quintal of gold and my post in her service; and she hath sworn that, if he bring thee back, she will put thee and thy wife and children to death.’ And she wept and discovered to Hassan what the queen had done with her self, whereat he wept and said, ‘O my lady, how shall I do to deliver myself and my wife and children from this tyrannical queen and return with them in safety to my own country?’ ‘Out on thee!’ replied the old woman. ‘Save thyself.’ Quoth he, ‘Needs must I deliver