Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 9.djvu/26

8 long while have I gone about in quest of the like of this!”

So I went up to the old man and saluting him, said to him, “O my lord, I desire to be thy guest to-night.” And he said, “With all my heart; but, O my son, with me are many damsels, some whose night is ten dinars, some forty and others more. Choose which thou wilt have.” Quoth I, “I choose her whose night is ten dinars.” And I counted out to him three hundred dinars, being the price of a month; whereupon he committed me to a page, who carried me to a bath within the house and tended me on goodly wise. When I came out of the bath, he brought me to the door of a chamber and knocked, whereupon out came a damsel, to whom said he, “Take thy guest.” She received me with welcome and courtesy, laughing and rejoicing, and brought me into a rare apartment, decorated with gold. I looked at her and saw her like the moon on the night of its full, having in attendance on her two damsels like stars. She made me sit and seating herself by my side, signed to her maids, who set before us a table covered with dishes of various kinds of meats, fowls and quails and sandgrouse and pigeons. So we ate till we were satisfied, and never in my life saw I aught more delicious than this food. When we had eaten, she caused remove the table [of meats] and set on the table of wine and flowers and fruits and sweetmeats; and I abode with her a month on this wise.

At the end of the month, I repaired to the bath; then, going to the old man, I said to him, “O my lord, I want her whose night is twenty dinars.” “Pay down the money,” said he. So I fetched money and counted out to him six hundred dinars for a month’s hire, whereupon he called a boy and said to him, “Take thy lord here.” So he carried me to the bath and thence to the door of a chamber, at which he knocked and there came out a