Page:The Perfumed Garden - Burton - 1886.djvu/196

180 fascinated by her charms, and plunged into admiration by her marvellous beauty.

This woman, however, appeared to be preoccupied on account of her husband, and allowed it not to be seen that she was afraid of his coming back from one minute to another. It must be mentioned that this husband was very proud, very jealous, and very violent, and would not have hesitated to shed the blood of anyone whom he would have found prowling about his house. What would he have done, and, with much more reason, to the man whom he might have found inside?

While the lady and he, who flattered himself that he should possess her, were amusing themselves in the medjeles, a knock at the house-door filled the lover with fear and trouble, particularly when the lady cried, "This is my husband, who is returning." All in a tremble, she hid him in a closet, which was in the room, shut the door upon him, and left the key in the medjeles; then she opened the house-door.

Her husband, for it was he, saw, on entering, the wine and all the preparations that had been made. Surprised, he asked what it meant. "It means what you see," she answered. "But for whom is all this?" he asked. "It is for my lover whom I have here." "And where is he?" "In this closet," she said, pointing with her finger to the place where the suffered was confined.

At these words the husband started. He rose and went to the closet, but found it locked. "Where is the kaykey [sic]?" he siadsaid [sic]. She answered, "Here!" throwing it to him. But as he was putting it into the lock she burst out laughing uproariously. He turned towards her, and said, "What are you laughing at?" "I laugh," she answered, "at the