Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 4.djvu/315

 answered, "The people of the bazar whereupon they said, "Call them together, that they may testify to us that thou art his very son." So he called them and they bore witness of this; whereupon the three men delivered to him a pair of saddle- bags, containing thirty thousand dinars, besides jewels and bullion of high value, saying, "This was deposited with us in trust by thy father." Then they went away; and presently there came to him a woman, who sought of him certain of the jewels, worth five hundred dinars which she bought and paid him three thousand for them. Upon this he arose and took five hundred dinars and carrying them to his friend who had lent him the money, said to him, "Take the five hundred dinars I borrowed of thee; for Allah hath opened to me the gate of prosperity." Quoth the other, "Nay; I gave them to thee outright, for the love of Allah; so do thou keep them. And take this paper, but read it not till thou be at home, and do according to that which is therein." So he took the money and the paper and returned home, where he opened the scroll and found therein inscribed these couplets,

"Kinsmen of mine were those three men who came to thee; * My sire     and uncles twain and Sálih bin Ali. So what for cash thou coldest, to my mother 'twas * Thou soldest     it, and coin and gems were sent by me. Thus doing I desired not any harm to thee * But in my presence     spare thee and thy modesty."

And they also recount the story of

THE RUINED MAN WHO BECAME RICH AGAIN THROUGH A DREAM.
There lived once in Baghdad a wealthy man and made of money, who lost all his substance and became so destitute that he could earn his living only by hard labour. One night, he lay down to sleep, dejected and heavy hearted, and saw in a dream a Speaker who said to him, "Verily thy fortune is in Cairo; go thither and seek