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The house master asked him, "How much the wage for this?"; and he

answered, "Twenty dirhams." So the gentleman cried out to the

slave girl, "Bring me twenty dirhams," and my brother spake not a

word; but the lady signed, "Take nothing from him;' whereupon my

brother said, "By Allah I will take naught from thy hand. And he

carried off his tailor's gear and returned to his shop, although

he was destitute even to a red cent.[FN#638] Then he applied

himself to do their work; eating, in his zeal and diligence, but

a bit of bread and drinking only a little water for three days.

At the end of this time came the handmaid and said to him, "What

hast thou done?" Quoth he, "They are finished," and carried the

shirts to the lady's husband, who would have paid him his hire:

but he said, "I will take nothing," for fear of her and,

returning to his shop, passed the night without sleep because of

his hunger.