Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 9.djvu/248

216 were awake to him and feared exposure and fled, for he is nothing but a lying impostor!’ At this moment in came the courier and kissing the earth before the king, wished him abiding glory and prosperity and length of life. Quoth the king, ‘Who art thou and what is thy business?’ ‘I am a courier,’ answered the genie, ‘whom thy son-in-law sendeth to thee with a letter, and he is come with the baggage.’ So he took the letter and read therein these words, ‘Peace to the utterest upon our father-in-law the glorious king! Know that I am at hand with the baggage-train: so come thou forth to meet me with the troops.’

Quoth the king, ‘God blacken thy face, O vizier! How often wilt thou asperse my son-in-law’s honour and call him a liar and an impostor? Behold, he is come with the baggage-train and thou art but a traitor.’ The vizier hung his head in shame and confusion and said, ‘O king of the age, I said this but because of the long delay of the baggage and because I feared the loss of the wealth he hath spent.’ ‘O traitor,’ answered the king, ‘what matter my riches, now that his baggage is come? For he will give me great plenty in their stead.’ Then he bade decorate the city and going in to his daughter, said to her, ‘Good news for thee! Thy husband will be here anon with his baggage; for he hath sent me a letter to that effect and I am now going forth to meet him.’ The princess marvelled at this and said to herself, ‘This is a strange thing! Was he laughing at me and making mock of me, or had he a mind to try me, when he told me that he was a poor man? But praised be God for that I failed not of my duty to him!’

Meanwhile, Ali the Cairene saw the decoration of the city and asked the cause thereof, when they said to him, ‘The baggage-train of the merchant Marouf, the king’s son-in-law, is come.’ ‘God is most great!’ cried he.