पृष्ठ 723 / 1116

And such was my condition for a whole week, when the merchants

required their monies of me, but I persuaded them to have

patience for another week, at the end of which time she again

appeared mounted on a she mule and attended by her eunuch and two

slaves. She saluted me and said, "O my master, we have been long

in bringing thee the price of the stuffs; but now fetch the

Shroff and take thy monies." So I sent for the money changer and

the eunuch counted out the coin before him and made it over to

me. Then we sat talking, I and she, till the market opened, when

she said to me, "Get me this and that." So I got her from the

merchants whatso she wanted, and she took it and went away

without saying a word to me about the price. As soon as she was

out of sight, I repented me of what I had done; for the worth of

the stuffs bought for her amounted to a thousand dinars, and I

said in my soul, "What manner of love is this?