Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 9.djvu/120

100 me see it.’ But she replied, ‘[I will not give it thee] till thou swear to me that thou wilt not smite any one with it.’ So he swore this to her and she opened the chest and brought out to him the knife and he fell to turning it over, saying, ‘Verily, this is a strange thing!’

Then said he to her, ‘Take it and lay it back in its place.’ Quoth she, ‘Tell me the meaning of all this.’ And he answered, ‘I saw a knife like this with our friend [the merchant],’ and told her all that had passed between himself and Kemerezzeman, adding, ‘But, when I saw it in the chest, there was an end of my doubts.’ ‘Belike,’ said she, ‘thou misdoubtedst of me and deemedst that I was the Levantine’s mistress and had given him the knife.’ ‘Yes,’ replied he; ‘I had my doubts of this; but, when I saw the knife, suspicion was lifted from my heart.’ ‘O man,’ rejoined she, ‘there is no good in thee!’ And he fell to excusing himself to her, till he appeased her; after which he returned to his shop.

Next day, she gave Kemerezzeman her husband’s watch, which he had wrought with his own hand and whereof none had the like, saying, ‘Go to his shop and sit with him and say to him, “I saw again to-day him whom I saw yesterday. He had a watch in his hand and said to me, ‘Wilt thou buy this watch?’ Quoth I, ‘Whence hadst thou it?’ And he answered, saying, ‘I was with my mistress and she gave me this watch.’ So I bought it of him for eight-and-fifty dinars. Look at it: is it cheap at that price or dear?” Note what he says to thee; then return to me in haste and give me the watch.’ So Kemerezzeman repaired to the jeweller and did with him as his mistress had charged him. When Ubeid saw the watch, he said, ‘This is worth seven hundred dinars;’ and suspicion entered into him. Then Kemerezzeman left him and returning to Helimeh, gave her back the watch.