6 Alf Laylah wa Laylakl for it is some days since we went there :" they answered, " To hear, is to obey!" and rose and all accompanied her. Now she had set two little slave-girls to keep the door of the private chamber wherein was Anis al-Jalis and had said to them, " Suffer none go in to the damsel." Presently, as the beautiful maiden sat resting in her rooms, suddenly came in the Wazir's son whose name was Nur al-Dm AH, 1 and asked after his mother and her women, to which the two little slave-girls replied, " They are in the Hammam." But the damsel, Anis al-Jalis, had heard from within Nur al-Din Ali's voice and had said to herself, " O would Heaven I saw what like is this youth against whom the Wazir warned me, saying that he hath not left a virgin in the neighbourhood without taking her virginity : by Allah, I do long to have sight of him ! " So she sprang to her feet with the freshness of the bath on her and, step- ping to the door, looked at Nur al-Din Ali and saw a youth like the moon in its full ^nd the sight bequeathed her a thousand sighs. The young man alsfr glanced at her and the look made him heir to a thousand thoughts of care ; and each fell into Love's ready- snare. Then he stepped up to the two little slave-girls and cried aloud at them ; whereupon both fled before him and stood afar off to see what he would do. And behold, he walked to the door of the damsel's chamber and, opening it, went in and asked her " Art thou she my father bought for me ? " and she answered " Yes." Thereupon the youth, who was warm with wine, came up to her and embraced her ; then he took her legs and passed them; round his waist and she wound her arms about his neck, and met him with kisses and murmurs of pleasure and amorous toyings. Next he sucked her tongue and she sucked his and, lastly, he loosed the strings of her petticoat-trousers and abated her maiden- head. When the two little slave-girls saw their young master get in unto the damsel, Anis al-Jalis', they cried out and shrieked ; so as soon as the youth had had his wicked will of her, he rose and fled forth fearing the consequences of his ill-doing. When the Wazir's wife heard the slave-girls' cries, she sprang up and came out of the baths with the perspiration pouring from her face, saying, " What is this unseemly clamour in the house 2 ? " Then she came up to the two little slave-girls and asked them saying,
Pronounce " Nooraddeen." I give the name as written in Arabic.
1 Amongst Moslems, I have said, it is held highly disgraceful when the sound ofj women's cries can be heard by outsiders.
