Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 9.djvu/50

32 comelier than thou, for they are all as the dust of thy feet; and behold, they are all thy slaves and at thy disposal. Or if it be other than this, tell me.’ ‘O uncle,’ replied Ibrahim, ‘this is no place for talk, for my case is strange and my affair extraordinary.’ ‘If it be so,’ rejoined the tailor, ‘come with me to a privy place.’ So saying, he took the youth by the hand and carrying him into a chamber behind the shop, said, ‘Now tell me.’

So Ibrahim related his whole story to the tailor, who was amazed at his speech and said, ‘O my son, fear God [and have mercy] on thyself, for she of whom thou speakest is a virago and averse from men. Wherefore, O my brother, do thou guard thy tongue, or thou wilt destroy thyself.’ When Ibrahim heard the hunchback’s words, he wept sore and clinging to the tailor’s skirts, said, ‘Help me, O my lord, or I am a dead man; for I have left my kingdom and the kingdom of my father and grandfather and am become a stranger and lonely in the lands; nor can I endure without her.’ When the tailor saw how it was with him, he had compassion on him and said, ‘O my son, I have but my life and that I will venture for thy love, for thou makest my heart ache. [Come again] to-morrow [and meanwhile] I will contrive thee somewhat whereby thy heart shall be solaced.’ Ibrahim called down blessings on him and returning to the khan, told the porter what the tailor had said, and he answered, ‘Indeed, he hath dealt kindly with thee.’

Next morning, the youth donned his richest clothes and taking a purse of money, repaired to the tailor and saluted him. Then he sat down and said, ‘O uncle, fulfil thy promise to me.’ Quoth the hunchback, ‘Arise forthright and take three fat fowls and three ounces of sugar-candy and two small jugs of wine and a cup. Lay all these in a bag and to-morrow, after the morning-prayers, take boat with them, bidding the boatman row thee down