45
lord?’ But he made him no answer, and the girl said to him, ‘O my lord and darling of my heart, what ails thee that thou wilt not bid for me? Buy me for what thou wilt, and I will bring thee good fortune.’ Ali raised his eyes to her and said, ‘Must I buy thee perforce? Thou art dear at one thousand dinars.’ ‘Then buy me for nine hundred,’ answered she. ‘Nay,’ rejoined he; and she said, ‘Then for eight hundred;’ and ceased not to abate the price, till she came to a hundred dinars. Quoth he, ‘I have not quite a hundred dinars.’ ‘How much dost thou lack of a hundred?’ asked she, laughing. ‘By Allah,’ replied he, ‘I have neither a hundred dinars, nor any other sum; for I own neither white money nor red, neither dinar nor dirhem. So look out for another customer.’ When she knew that he had nothing, she said to him, ‘Take me by the hand and carry me aside into a passage, as if thou wouldst examine me privily.’ He did so and she took from her bosom a purse containing a thousand dinars, which she gave him saying, ‘Pay down nine hundred to my price and keep the rest to provide us withal.’
He did as she bade him and buying her for nine hundred dinars, paid down the price from the purse and carried her to his house, which when she entered, she found nothing but bare floors, without carpets or vessels. So she gave him other thousand dinars, saying, ‘Go to the bazaar Night cccxii.and buy three hundred dinars’ worth of furniture and vessels for the house and three dinars’ worth of meat and drink, also a piece of silk, the size of a curtain, and gold and silver thread and [sewing] silk of seven colours.’ He did her bidding, and she furnished the house and they sat down to eat and drink; after which they went to bed and took their pleasure, one of the other. And they lay the night embraced and were even as saith the poet:
