第32章 THE PORTER AND THE THREE LADIES OF BAGHDAD.(7)

Is it not enough that we have taken you into our house and fed you with our victual！But the fault is not so much yours as that of her who brought you in to us.'Then she tucked up her sleeves and smote three times on the floorsaying'Come quickly！'

Whereupon the door of a closet opened and out came seven black slaveswith drawn swords in their handsto whom said the lady，'Bind these babblers'hands behind them and tie them one with another.'The slaves did as she badeand said'O noble ladyis it thy will that we strike off their heads？'Hold your hands awhile，'answered she'till I question them of their condition，before ye strike off their heads.'By AllahO my lady，'exclaimed the porter 'do not slay me for another's faultfor all have erred and offended save myself. And by Allahour night would have been a pleasant onehad we not been afflicted with these Calenderswhose presence is enough to lay a flourishing city in ruins.'And he repeated the following verses：

How fair a thing is mercy to the great！And how much more to those of low estate！

By all the love that has between us beenDoom not the guiltless to the guilty's fate！

When the lady heard thisshe laughedin spite of her angerand coming up to the guestssaid to them'Tell me who you arefor ye have but a little while to liveand were you not men of rank and considerationyou had never dared to act thus.'Then the Khalif said to Jaafer'Out on thee！Tell her who we areor we shall be slain in a mistakeand speak her fairere an abomination befall us.'It were only a part of thy deserts，'replied Jaafer. Whereupon the Khalif cried out at him in anger and said'There is a time to jest and a time to be serious.'

Then the lady said to the Calenders'Are ye brothers？'Not so，'answered they；'we are only poor men and strangers.'And she said to one of them'Wast thou born blind of one eye？'Noby Allah！'replied he；'but there hangs a rare story by the loss of my eyea story whichwere it graven with needles on the corners of the eyewould serve as a lesson to those that can profit by example.'She questioned the two other Calendersand they made a like replysaying'By Allah！O our mistresseach one of us comes from a different country and is the son of a king and a sovereign prince ruling over lands and subjects.'Then she turned to the others and said to them'Let each of you come forward in turn and tell us his history and the manner of his coming hither and after go about his business；but whoso refusesI will cut off his head.'The first to come forward was the porterwho said'O my ladyI am a porter. This ladythe cateresshired me and took me first to the vintner'sthen to the butcher's，from the butcher's to the fruiterer'sfrom the fruiterer's to the grocer'sfrom the grocer's to the greengrocer'sfrom the greengrocer's to the confectioner's and the druggist'sand thence to this placewhere there happened to me with you what happened. This is my story；and peace be on thee！'At this the lady laughed and said to him'Begone about thy business.'But he said'By AllahI will not budge 'till I hear the others'stories.'Then came forward the first Calender and said'KnowO ladythat The First Calender's Story.

My father was a kingand he had a brotherwho was also a king over another city. The latter had a son and a daughterand it chanced that I and the son of my uncle were both born on the same day. In due time we grew up to man's estate and there was a great affection between us. Now it was my wont every now and then to visit my uncle and abide with him several months at a time.

One dayI went to visit him as usual and found him absent a-hunting；but my cousin received me with the utmost courtesy and slaughtered sheep and strained wine for me and we sat down to drink. When the wine had got the mastery of usmy cousin said to me'O son of my uncle I have a great service to ask of theeand I beg of thee not to baulk me in what I mean to do.'With all my heart，'answered I；and he made me swear by the most solemn oaths to do his will. Then he went away and returning in a littlewith a lady veiled and perfumed and very richly cladsaid to me，'Take this lady and go before me to the burial-ground and enter such and such a sepulchre，'and he described it to me and I knew it'and wait till I come.'I could not gainsay himby reason of the oath I had sworn to him；so I took the lady and carried her to the cemeteryand entering the tomb sat down to await my cousinwho soon rejoined uscarrying a vessel of watera bag containing plaster and an adze. He went up to the tomb in the midst of the sepulchre and loosening its stones with the adze，laid them on one side after which he fell to digging with the adze in the earth till he uncovered a trap of ironas big as a small doorand raised itwhen there appeared beneath it a winding stair. Then he turned to the lady and said to her'Up and make thy choice.'So she descended the stair and was lost to sight；and he said to me'O my cousinwhen I have descended，complete thy kindness to me by replacing the trap-door and throwing back the earth on it： then mix the plaster in the bag with the water in this vessel and build up the tomb again with the stones and plaster it over as beforelest any see it and say'This tomb has been newly openedalbeit it is an old one；' for I have been at work here a whole yearunknown to any save God. This then is the service I had to ask of theeand may God never bereave thy friends of theeO my cousin！'