Pagina 592 di 1116

Thus far concerning him; but as regards his cousin, the Lady of

Beauty, when morning dawned she awoke and missed Badr al-Din

Hasan from her side; but she thought that he had gone to the

privy and she sat expecting him for an hour or so; when behold,

entered her father Shams al-Din Mohammed, Wazir of Egypt. Now he

was disconsolate by reason of what had befallen him through the

Sultan, who had entreated him harshly and had married his

daughter by force to the lowest of his menials and he too a lump

of a groom bunch-backed withal, and he said to himself, "I will

slay this daughter of mine if of her own free will she have

yielded her person to this accursed carle." So he came to the

door of the bride's private chamber and said, "Ho! Sitt al-Husn."

She answered him, "Here am I!