Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 9.djvu/117

97 all his goods thither. The jeweller passed that evening with him, then went to his own house.

On the morrow, his wife sent for a cunning builder and wrought on him with money to make her an underground [way] from her chamber to Kemerezzeman’s house, ending in a trap-door under the earth. So, before Kemerezzeman was ware, she came in to him with two bags of money and he said to her, ‘Whence comest thou?’ She showed him the underground way and said to him, ‘Take these two bags of his money.’ Then she abode with him, toying and dallying with him, till the morning, when she said, ‘Wait for me, till I go to him and wake him, so he may go to his shop, and return to thee.’ So saying, she went away and awoke her husband, who made the ablution and prayed and went to his shop. As soon as he was gone, she took four bags of money and carrying them to Kemerezzeman, sat with him awhile, after which she returned to her house and he betook himself to the bazaar.

When he returned at sundown, he found in his house ten purses and jewels and what not else. Presently the jeweller came to him and carried him to his own house, where they passed the evening in the saloon, till the maid brought them to drink. The jeweller drank and fell asleep, whilst nought betided Kemerezzeman [and he abode awake], for that his cup was pure and there was no drug therein. Then came Helimeh and fell to toying with him, whilst the maid transported the jeweller’s goods to Kemerezzeman’s house by the secret passage. Thus they did till morning, when the maid awoke her master and gave them to drink of coffee, after which they went each his own way.

On the third day she brought out to him a knife of her husband’s, that he had chased and wrought with his own hand. He priced it at five hundred dinars and because of VOL. IX.