Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 9.djvu/49

31 said to him, ‘I have nothing save my life; but that I will venture for thy love and contrive thee a means of bringing thee to thy desire.’ Then they went out from him and on the morrow, he betook himself to the bath and donned a suit of royal raiment, after which he returned to his lodging. Presently the porter and his wife came in to him and said, ‘Know, O my lord, that there is a humpbacked tailor here who sews for the lady Jemileh. Go thou to him and acquaint him with thy case; peradventure he will put thee in the way of attaining thy desire.’

So Ibrahim arose and betaking himself to the shop of the humpbacked tailor, went in to him and found with him ten white slaves, as they were moons. He saluted them and they returned his greeting and made him sit down; and indeed they rejoiced in him and were amazed at his beauty and grace. Now he had torn his pocket with intent and he said to the hunchback, ‘I desire that thou sew me up my pocket.’ So the tailor took a needleful of silk and sewed up his pocket; whereupon Ibrahim gave him five dinars and returned to his lodging. Quoth the tailor, ‘What have I done for this youth, that he should give me five dinars?’ And he passed the night, pondering his beauty and generosity.

On the morrow Ibrahim returned to the shop and saluted the tailor, who returned his greeting and welcomed him and made much of him. Then he sat down and said to the hunchback, ‘O uncle, sew up my pocket, for I have torn it again.’ ‘On my head and eyes, O my son,’ answered the tailor and sewed it up; whereupon Ibrahim gave him ten dinars and he took them, amazed at his beauty and generosity. Then said he, ‘By Allah, O youth, needs must there be a reason for this conduct of thine, for this is no matter of sewing up a pocket. Tell me the truth of thy case. If thou be enamoured of one of these boys, by Allah, there is not among them a