Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 8.djvu/357

341 decorate the city, in honour of his daughter’s wedding, and Abdallah went in to the princess and did away her maidenhead.

Next morning, the king looked out of window and saw Abdallah carrying on his head a basket full of fruit. So he said to him, ‘What hast thou there, O my son-in-law, and whither goest thou?’ ‘I go to my friend Abdallah the merman,’ answered the fisherman; and the king said, ‘O my son-in-law, this is no time to go to thy friend.’ Quoth Abdallah, ‘Indeed, I fear to break tryst with him, lest he reckon me a liar and say, “The things of the world have distracted thee from me.”’ ‘True,’ rejoined the king. ‘Go to thy friend and God help thee!’ So he passed through the city on his way to the sea-shore, and as he went, he heard those who knew him say, ‘There goes the king’s son-in-law to exchange fruit for jewels;’ whilst those who knew him not said, ‘Harkye, how much a pound? Come, sell to me.’ And he answered, saying, ‘Wait till I come back to thee,’ for that he would not vex any.

Then he fared on till he came to the sea-shore and foregathered with his friend the merman, to whom he delivered the fruit, receiving jewels in return. As he passed by the shop of the baker, on his return, he saw it closed; and thus he did ten days, during which time the shop abode shut and he saw nothing of the baker. So he said in himself, ‘This is a strange thing! I wonder what is come of the baker!’ Then he enquired of his neighbour, saying, ‘O my brother, where is thy neighbour the baker and what hath God done with him?’ ‘O my lord,’ answered he, ‘he is sick and cometh not forth of his house.’ ‘Where is his house?’ asked Abdallah; and the other replied, ‘In such a quarter.’

So he went thither and enquired of him; but, when he knocked at the door, the baker looked out of window and