Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 9.djvu/118

98 the eagerness with which the folk sought it of him, he had laid it up in a chest and could not bring himself to sell it to any. Quoth she, ‘Take this knife and stick it in thy girdle and go to my husband and sit with him. Then pull out the knife and say to him, “Look at this knife I bought to-day and tell me if I made a good bargain or not.” He will know it, but will be ashamed to say to thee, “This is my knife.” So he will ask thee, “Whence didst thou buy it and for how much?” And do thou answer, “I saw two Levantines disputing and one said to the other, ‘Where hast thou been?’ Quoth his companion, ‘I have been with my mistress, and whenever I foregather with her, she gives me money; but to-day she said to me, “I have no money to give thee to-day, but take this knife of my husband’s.” So I took it and mean to sell it.’ The knife pleased me and I said to him, ‘Wilt thou sell it to me?’ ‘Buy,’ answered he. So I got it of him for three hundred dinars and I wonder whether it was cheap or dear.” And note what he will say to thee. Then talk with him awhile and rise and come back to me in haste. Thou wilt find me awaiting thee at the mouth of the underground way, and do thou give me the knife.’ ‘I hear and obey,’ replied Kemerezzeman and taking the knife, stuck it in his girdle.

Then he went to the shop of the jeweller, who saluted him and welcomed him and made him sit down. He spied the knife in his girdle, at which he wondered and said in himself, ‘That is my knife: who can have given it to this merchant?’ And he fell a-musing and saying in himself, ‘I wonder if it is my knife or one like it!’ Presently, Kemerezzeman pulled it out of his girdle and said to him, ‘Harkye, master; take this knife and look at it.’ Ubeid took it and knew it right well, but was ashamed to say, ‘This is my knife;’ so he said, ‘Where didst thou buy it?’ Kemerezzeman replied as Helimeh had charged him, and the jeweller said, ‘The knife was cheap at that