HKB
will see the result. Jaạfar, therefore, did as he was commanded, and the Khaleefeh returned to his palace; but he was unable to sleep during the remainder of the night.
On the following morning he sat upon his throne, and when his courtiers had presented themselves before him, and departed, excepting Jaạfar, he said to him, Bring before me the three ladies and the two bitches and the mendicants. So Jaạfar arose, and brought them, and, placing the ladies behind the curtains, said to them, We have forgiven you on account of your previous kindness to us, and because ye knew us not; and now I acquaint you that ye are in the presence of the fifth of the sons of El-'Abbás, Hároon Er-Rasheed; therefore relate to him nothing but the truth. And when the ladies heard the words which Jaạfar addressed to them on the part of the Khaleefeh, the eldest of them advanced, and thus related her story:--
THE STORY OF THE FIRST OF THE THREE LADIES OF BAGHDÁD.
O Prince of the Faithful, my story is wonderful; for these two bitches[III_84] are my sisters, born to my father, but of another mother; and I am the youngest of the three. After the death of our father, who left us five thousand pieces of gold, these my two sisters married, and when they had resided some time with their husbands, each of the latter prepared a stock of merchandise, and received from his wife a thousand pieces of gold, and they all set forth on a journey together, leaving me here; but after they had been absent four years, my sisters' husbands lost all their property, and abandoned them in a strange land, and they returned to me in the garb of beggars. When I first saw them in this state, I knew them not; and, as soon as I recognised them, I exclaimed, How is it that ye are in this condition?--O our sister, they answered, thy inquiry now is of no use: the Pen hath written what God hath decreed.[III_85]--I sent them, therefore, to the bath, and, having clad them in new apparel, said to them, O my sisters, ye are my elders, and I am young; so ye shall be to me in the places of my father and mother. The inheritance which I shared with you God hath blessed; partake then of its increase, for my affairs are prosperous; and I and ye shall fare alike.--I treated them with the utmost kindness, and during a whole year they remained with me, and enriched themselves by the money that I had given them; but after this period they said to me, It will be more agreeable to us to marry again, for we can no longer abstain from doing so.--O my sisters, I replied, ye have seen no happiness in marriage: a good husband in this age is rarely found, and ye have already had experience of the marriage-state. They, however, heeded not my words; but married against my consent: yet I gave them dowries from my own property, and continued to them my protection. They went to their husbands, and the latter, after they had resided with them a short time, defrauded them of all that they possessed, and, setting forth on a journey, left them destitute: so again they returned to me, and, in a state of nudity, implored my forgiveness, saying, Be not angry with us; for though thou art younger than we, thou hast more mature sense; and we promise thee that we will never again mention the subject of marriage. I replied, Ye are welcome, O my sisters; for I have no one dearer to me than yourselves:--and I received them, and treated them with every kindness, and we remained happily together for the space of a year.