52
my father’s factors and gave each of them a thousand dinars, keeping the rest in her own hands and ordering the outgoings and the incomings. Moreover she gave me money to trade withal and said to me, “Sit thou in thy father’s shop.” So I took up my abode in the chamber behind the shop in the market of the money-changers, and my friends came and bought of me and I sold to them; whereby I profited well and my wealth increased. When my mother saw me in this fair way, she discovered to me that which she had treasured up of jewels and pearls and gold, and I bought back my houses and lands that I had wasted and my wealth became great as before. I abode thus for some time, and the factors of my father came to me and I gave them goods, and I built me a second chamber behind the shop.
One day, as I sat in my shop, according to my wont, there came up to me a damsel, never saw eyes a fairer than she of favour, and said, “Is this the shop of Aboulhusn Ali ibn Ahmed el Khurasani?” “Yes,” answered I. “Where is he?” asked she. “I am he,” said I, and indeed my wit was dazed at the excess of her loveliness. She sat down and said to me, “Bid thy servant count me out three hundred dinars.” So I bade him give her that sum and he counted it out to her and she took it and went away, leaving me stupefied. Quoth my clerk to me, “Dost thou know her?” And I answered, “No, by Allah!” “Then why,” asked he, “didst thou bid me give her the money?” “By Allah,” replied I, “I knew not what I said, of my amazement at her beauty and grace!” Then he rose and followed her, without my knowledge, but presently returned, weeping and with the mark of a blow on his face. I asked him what ailed him, and he said, “I followed the damsel, to see whither she went; but, when she was aware of me, she turned and dealt me this blow and all but put out my eye.”
