第88章 STORY OF THE HUNCHBACK(10)

Then I went homedrunken with love of herand they set the evening-meal before me. I ate a mouthful and lay down to rest，musing upon her beauty and grace： but sleep came not to me. A week passed thusand the merchants sought their money of me，but I persuaded them to wait another weekat the end of which time she came upriding on the mule and attended by an eunuch and two slaves. She saluted me and said'O my lordwe have been long in bringing thee the price of the stuffs；but now fetch a money-changer and take the amount.'So I sent for the money-changerand the eunuch counted me out the moneyand we sat talkingthe lady and Itill the market openedwhen she said to me'Get me this and this.'So I got her from the merchants what she wantedand she took it and went awaywithout saying a word to me about the price. As soon as she was out of sightI repented me of what I had donefor the price of what I had bought for her was a thousand dinarsand I said to myself'What doting is this？ She has brought me five thousand dirhems and taken a thousand dinars'worth of goods.'And I feared lest I should be beggaredthrough having to pay the merchants their moneyand said'They know none but me and this woman is none other than a cheatwho hath cozened me with her beauty and gracefor she saw that I was young and laughed at me；and I did not ask her address.'She did not come again for more than a monthand I abode in constant distress and perplexitytill at last the merchants dunned me for their money and pressed me so that I put up my property for sale and looked for nothing but ruin. Howeveras I was sitting in my shopone dayabsorbed in melancholy thoughtshe rode up and dismounting at the gate of the bazaarcame in and made towards me. When I saw hermy anxiety ceased and I forgot my troubles. She came up to me and greeting me with her pleasant speechsaid to me，'Fetch the money-changer and take thy money.'So she gave me the price of the goods I had gotten for her and moreand fell to conversing freely with metill I was like to die of joy and delight. Presentlyshe said to me'Hast thou a wife？'No，'answered I；'I have never known woman.'And fell a-weeping. Quoth she'Why dost thou weep？'It is nothing，'replied I；and giving the eunuch some of the dinarsbegged him to use his influence with her for me；but he laughed and said'She is more in love with thee than thou with her. She had no occasion for the stuffs she bought of thee and did all this but out of love for thee. So ask of her what thou wilt；she will not deny thee.'When she saw me give the eunuch moneyshe returned and sat down again；and I said to her'Be charitable to thy slave and pardon him what he is about to say.'Then I told her what was in my mindand she assented and said to the eunuch'Thou shalt carry my message to him.'Then to me'Do as the eunuch bids thee.'Then she rose and went awayand I paid the merchants what I owed themand they all profited；but as for meI gained nought but regret for the breaking off of our intercourse. I slept not all that night；but before many days were pastthe eunuch came to meand I made much of him and asked after his mistress. 'She is sick for love of thee，'replied he；and I said'Tell me who she is.'Quoth he，'She is one of the waiting-women of the Lady Zubeidehthe wife of the Khalif Haroun er Reshidwho brought her up and advanced her to be stewardess of the harem and granted her the right of going in and out at will. She told her mistress of thee and begged her to marry her to thee；but she said'I will not do thistill I see the young man；and if he be worthy of theeI will marry thee to him.'So now we wish to bring thee into the palace at once and if thou succeed in entering without being seenthou wilt win to marry her；but if the affair get wind，thou wilt lose thy head. What sayst thou？'And I answered'I will go with thee and abide the risk of which thou speakest.'

Then said he'As soon as it is nightgo to the mosque built by the Lady Zubeideh on the Tigris and pray and pass the night there.'With all my heart，'answered I. So at nightfall I repaired to the mosquewhere I prayed and passed the night. Just before daybreakthere came up some eunuchs in a boatwith a number of empty chestswhich they deposited in the mosque and went away allexcept one who remained behind and whomon examinationI found to be he who served as our go-between.

Presentlyin came my mistress herself and I rose to her and embraced her. She kissed meweepingand we talked awhile；after which she made me get into one of the chests and locked it upon me. Then the eunuchs came back with a number of packages；and she fell to stowing them in the chests and locking the latter one by onetill she had filled them all. Then they embarked the chests in the boat and made for the Lady Zubeideh's palace. With this，reflection came to me and I said to myself'My lust will surely bring me to destructionnor do I know whether I shall gain my end or no！'And I began to weepshut up as I was in the chest，and to pray to God to deliver me from the peril I was inwhilst the boat ceased not going till it reached the palace gatewhere they lifted out the chests and amongst them that in which I was.

Then they carried them into the palacepassing through a troop of eunuchsguardians of the harem and door-keeperstill they came to the post of the chief of the eunuchswho started up from sleep and called out to the ladysaying'What is in those chests？'Quoth she'They are full of wares for the Lady Zubeideh.'Open them，'said he'one by onethat I may see what is in them.'--'Why wilt thou open them？'asked she： but he cried out at hersaying'Give me no words！They must and shall be opened.'Now the first that they brought to him to open was that in which I was： and when I felt thismy senses failed me and I bepissed myself for terrorand the water ran out of the chest.