Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 9.djvu/246

214 and these my sons shall guard thee: so fear thou nothing; for I go to assemble my Marids and send them to do thy desire.’ So saying, he departed, leaving Marouf seated in the tent, with the table before him and the genie’s sons in attendance upon him, in the guise of slaves and servants.

Presently up came the husbandman, with a great platter of lentils and a nose-bag full of barley, and seeing the tent pitched and the slaves standing, with their hands upon their breasts, thought that the Sultan was come and had halted there. So he stood confounded and said in himself, ‘Would I had killed a pair of chickens and fried them with butter for the Sultan!’ And he would have turned back to kill the chickens, to regale the Sultan withal; but Marouf saw him and cried out to him and said to the slaves, ‘Bring him hither.’ So they brought him and his load before Marouf, who said to him, ‘What is this?’ ‘This is thy noon-meal and thy horse’s fodder,’ replied the peasant. ‘Excuse me, for I thought not that the Sultan would come hither; and had I known this, I would have killed a pair of chickens and entertained him handsomely.’ Quoth Marouf, ‘The Sultan is not come. I am his son-in-law and I was vexed with him. However, he hath sent his officers to make his peace with me, and now I am minded to return to the city. But thou hast made me this guest-meal, without knowing me, and I accept it from thee, lentils though it be, and will not eat save of thy cheer.’

So he bade him set the platter midmost the table and ate of it till he had enough, whilst the husbandman filled his belly with those rich meats. Then Marouf washed his hands and gave the servants leave to eat. So they fell upon the remains of the meal and ate: and when the platter was empty, he filled it with gold and gave it to the peasant, saying, ‘Carry this to thy dwelling and come