Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 8.djvu/309

297 ABOUKIR THE DYER AND ABOUSIR THE BARBER.

There dwelt once, in the city of Alexandria, two men, one of whom was a dyer, by name Aboukir, and the other a barber called Abousir; and they were neighbours in the market, where their shops were side by side. The dyer was a swindler and a liar, an exceeding wicked man, as if indeed his temples were hewn out of the rock or fashioned of the threshold of a Jewish synagogue, nor was he ashamed of any knavery he wrought amongst the folk. It was his wont, when any brought him stuffs to dye, to require of him present payment, on pretence of buying dyestuffs withal. So the man would give him the hire in advance and go away, and he would spend it on meat and drink; after which he would sell the stuff itself and spend its price in eating and drinking and what not else, for he ate not but of the choicest and most delicate meats nor drank but of the best of that which doth away the wit.

When the owner of the stuff came to him, he would say to him, ‘Come to me to-morrow before sunrise and thou shalt find thy stuff dyed.’ So the man would go away, saying in himself, ‘One day is near another,’ and return next day at the appointed time, when the dyer would say to him, ‘Come to-morrow; yesterday I was not at work, for I had with me guests and was occupied with their service till they went: but come to-morrow before sunrise and take thy stuff dyed.’ So he would go away and return on the third day, when Aboukir would say to him, ‘Indeed yesterday I was excusable, for my wife was brought to bed in the night and all day I was busy with