9
STORY OF THE LACKPENNY AND THE COOK.
One of the good-for-noughts found himself one day without aught and the world was straitened upon him and his patience failed; so he lay down to sleep and gave not over sleeping till the sun burnt him and the foam came out upon his mouth, whereupon he arose, and he was penniless and had not so much as one dirhem. Presently, he came to the shop of a cook, who had set up therein his pans[1] [over the fire] and wiped his scales and washed his saucers and swept his shop and sprinkled it; and indeed his oils[2] were clear[3] and his spices fragrant and he himself stood behind his cooking-pots [waiting for custom]. So the lackpenny went up to him and saluting him, said to him, ‘Weigh me half a dirhem’s worth of meat and a quarter of a dirhem’s worth of kouskoussou[4] and the like of bread.’ So the cook weighed out to him [that which he sought] and the lackpenny entered the shop, whereupon the cook set the food before him and he ate till he had gobbled up the whole and licked the saucers and abode perplexed, knowing not how he should do with the cook concerning the
