Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 8.djvu/125

113 dinars for her and thou wilt thus make four thousand dinars profit.’ [sic] Noureddin refused, but the Frank ceased not to ply him with meat and drink and tempt him with money, still adding to his offers, till he bid him ten thousand dinars for her; whereupon Noureddin, in his drunkenness, said, in the presence of the merchants, ‘I sell her to thee for ten thousand dinars: hand over the money.’ At this the Frank rejoiced mightily and took the merchants to witness of the sale.

They passed the night in eating and drinking and making merry, till the morning, when the Frank cried out to his servants, saying, ‘Bring me the money.’ So they brought it to him and he counted out ten thousand dinars to Noureddin, saying, ‘O my lord, take the price of thy slave-girl, whom thou soldest to me last night, in the presence of these Muslim merchants.’ ‘Thou liest, O accursed one,’ replied Noureddin. ‘I sold thee nothing and have no slave-girls.’ Quoth the Frank, ‘Verily thou didst sell her to me and these merchants were witnesses to the bargain.’ ‘Yes,’ said they all, ‘thou soldest him thy slave-girl before us for ten thousand dinars, O Noureddin, and we will all bear witness against thee of the sale. Come, take the money and deliver him the girl, and God will give thee a better than she in her stead. Doth it mislike thee, O Noureddin, that thou boughtest the girl for a thousand dinars and hast enjoyed her beauty and grace and taken thy fill of her company and converse night and day for a year and a half, wherein thou hast gained half a score thousand dinars by the sale of the girdle which she made thee every day and thou soldest for twenty dinars, and after all this thou hast sold her again at a profit of nine thousand dinars over and above her original price? And withal thou deniest the sale and belittlest the profit! What gain is greater than this gain and what profit wouldst thou have greater than VOL VIII.