Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 5.djvu/139

 prayed with the congregation and returned to his work. He did the same upon the call to mid-afternoon prayer, and when I saw him fall to work again thereafterward, I said to him, O my friend, verily the hours of labour are over; a workmans day is but till the time of afternoon-prayer.  But he replied, Praise to the Lord, my service is till the night.  And he ceased not to work till nightfall, when I gave him two dirhams; whereupon he asked What is this!; and I answered, By Allah, this is but part of thy wage, because of thy diligence in my service.  But he threw them back to me saying, I will have no more than was agreed upon between us twain.  I urged him to take them, but could not prevail upon him; so I gave him the dirham and the danik, and he went away. And when morning dawned, I went to the station but found him not; so I enquired for him and was told, He cometh thither only on Sabbaths.  Accordingly, when Saturday came, I betook me to the market and finding him there, said to him, Bismillah, do me the favour to come and work for me.  Said he, Upon the conditions thou wottest; and I answered Yes!  Then carrying him to my house I stood to watch him where he could not see me; and he took a handful of puddled clay and laid it on the wall, when, behold, the stones ranged themselves one upon other; and I said, On this wise are Allahs holy ones. he worked out his day and did even more than before; and when it was night, I gave him his hire, and he took it and walked away. Now when the third Saturday came round, I went to the place of standing, but found him not; so I asked after him and they told me, He is sick and lying in the shanty of such a woman.  Now this was an old wife, renowned for piety, who had a hovel of reeds in the burial-ground. So I fared thither and found him stretched on the floor which was bare, with a brick for a pillow and his face beaming like the new moon with light. I saluted him and he returned my salam; and I sat down at his head weeping over his fair young years and absence from home and submission to the will of his Lord. Then said I to him, Hast thou any need?  Yes, answered he; and I said, What is it?  He replied, Come hither to-morrow in the forenoon and thou wilt find me dead. Wash me and dig my grave and tell none thereof: but shroud me in this my gown, after thou hast unsewn it and taken out what thou shalt find in the bosom-pocket, which keep with thee. Then, when thou hast prayed over me and laid