Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 8.djvu/102

90 old man, ‘What is thy name?’ And he replied, ‘Ali Noureddin.’ ‘O my son, O Noureddin,’ said the druggist, ‘be the triple divorcement incumbent on me, if thou leave me so long as thou abidest in this town; and I will set thee apart a place wherein to dwell.’ Quoth Noureddin, ‘O my lord, let me know more of thee.’ And the other answered, ‘Know, O my son, that years ago I came to Cairo with merchandise, which I sold there and bought other, and I had occasion for a thousand dinars. So thy father paid them down for me, for all he had no knowledge of me, and would take no security of me, but had patience with me till I returned hither and sent him the amount by one of my servants, together with a present. I saw thee, whilst thou wast little, and if it please God the Most High, I will repay thee somewhat of the kindness thy father did me.’ When Noureddin heard the old man’s story, he smiled and showed joy and pulling out the purse of a thousand dinars, gave it to his host and said to him, ‘Take charge of this for me, against I buy me therewith somewhat of merchandise whereon to trade.’

Then he abode some days in Alexandria, eating and drinking and making merry and taking his pleasure in its thoroughfares, till he had made an end of the hundred dinars he had kept by way of spending-money; whereupon he repaired to the old druggist, to take of him somewhat of the thousand dinars to spend, but found him not in his shop and sat down there, to await his return. As he sat thus, gazing right and left and amusing himself with watching the merchants and passers-by, there came into the bazaar a Persian riding on a mule and having behind him a damsel, as she were virgin silver or a turbot in a tank or a gazelle in the desert. Her face outvied the shining sun and she had bewitching eyes and breasts of ivory, teeth of pearl, slender body and dimpled sides and legs like fat sheep’s tails; and indeed