Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 9.djvu/261

229 to go in to the princess this night.’ Quoth the Skeikh el Islam, ‘It is not lawful for thee to go in to her till her days of widowhood be accomplished and thou have drawn up thy contract of marriage with her.’ But he answered, ‘I know neither days of widowhood nor delay; so multiply not words on me.’ So the Sheikh was silent, fearing his mischief, and said to the troops, ‘Verily, this man is an infidel and hath neither faith nor religion.’

As soon as it was night, he went in to her and found her clad in her richest raiment and decked with her goodliest ornaments. When she saw him, she came to meet him, laughing, and said, ‘[This is] a blessed night! But, hadst thou slain my father and my husband, it had been better to my mind.’ And he said, ‘Needs must I slay them.’ Then she made him sit down and began to jest with him and make a show of love to him, caressing him and smiling in his face, whereupon his reason fled; but she did but cajole him on this wise that she might get possession of the ring and change his joy into calamity on his head; nor did she deal thus with him but after the counsel of him who saith:

When he saw her caress him and smile upon him, desire stirred in him and he besought her of dalliance; but, when he drew near her, she started back from him, saying, ‘O my lord, seest thou not the man looking at us? I conjure thee by Allah, screen me from his eyes! How canst thou have to do with me what while he looketh on us?’ When he heard this, he was angry and said, ‘Where is the man?’ ‘There he is, in the beazel of the ring,’ answered she, ‘putting out his head and looking at us.’ He thought that the genie was looking at them and said,