Part 6

“I remained then at Cairo after their departure, and lived there three years to gratify my curiosity in examining all the wonders of Egypt. During that time I took care to send my rent to the jeweller; always desiring him to keep my house for me, as it was my intention to return to Damascus, and reside there for some years. I did not meet with any adventure at Cairo, worthy of being related; but you will, no doubt, be very much surprised to hear what befel me, on my return to Damascus.

“When I arrived in this city, I dismounted at the jeweller’s, who received me with joy, and would accompany me to my house, to shew me, that no one had been in it during my absence. In fact, the seal was still entire on the lock. I entered, and found every thing in the state I had left it.

“In cleaning and sweeping the room where I had regaled the two ladies, one of my servants found a golden necklace in the form of a chain, in which, from space to space, were ten pearls very large and perfect. He brought it me, and I knew it to be that which I had seen on the neck of the young lady who was poisoned. I supposed that it had got loose, and had fallen without my perceiving it. I could not look at it without shedding tears, as it brought to my recollection so amiable a person, whom I had seen expire in such a cruel manner. I wrapped it up, and put it carefully in my bosom.

“I passed some days in recovering from the fatigue of my journey; after which I began to visit those with whom I had been formerly acquainted. I gave myself up to all kinds of pleasure, and insensibly spent all my money. Reduced to this situation, instead of selling my goods, I resolved to dispose of the necklace; but I was so little acquainted with the value of pearls, that I had but bad success, as you will hear.

“I went to the bezestein, where I called aside one of the criers, and shewing him the necklace told him I wished to sell it, and begged him to shew it to the principal jewellers. The crier was surprised at seeing such an elegant ornament. ‘Ah, what a beautiful thing!’ cried he, after having admired it for some time. ‘Our merchants have never seen any thing so rich and costly; I shall give them great pleasure, and you need not doubt their setting a high price on it, and bidding against each other.’ He led me into a shop, which I found to be that of the owner of my house. ‘Wait for me here,’ said the crier, ‘I shall soon return and bring you an answer.’

“Whilst he with great secrecy was going about to the different merchants to shew the necklace, I seated myself near the jeweller, who was very glad to see me; and we entered into conversation together on various subjects. The crier returned, and taking me aside, instead of telling me that the necklace was esteemed worth two thousand scherifs at the least, he assured me, that no one would give me more than fifty. ‘They tell me,’ added he, ‘that the pearls are false; determine whether you will let it go at that price.’ As I believed what he said, and was in want of money, ‘Go,’ said I, ‘I depend on what you say, and those who are better acquainted with these matters than I am; deliver it, and bring me the money directly.’

“The crier had, in fact, been sent to offer me fifty scherifs by one of the richest jewellers in the bezestein, who had only mentioned this price to sound me, and see if I knew the worth of what I wanted to sell. No sooner therefore was he made acquainted with my answer, than he took the crier with him to an officer of the police, to whom, shewing the necklace, he said, ‘Sir, this is a necklace that has been stolen from me, and the thief, disguised as a merchant, has had the effrontery to offer it for sale, and is now actually in the bezestein. He is content to receive fifty scherifs for jewels that are worth two thousand: nothing can be a stronger proof of his being a thief.’

“The officer of the police sent immediately to arrest me; and when I appeared before him, he asked me if the necklace he had in his hand was not that which I had offered for sale in the bezestein; I replied in the affirmative. ‘And is it true,’ continued he, ‘that you would dispose of it for fifty scherifs?’ I confessed it was. ‘Well then,’ said he, in a sneering tone, ‘let him have the bastinado, he will soon tell us, in his fine merchant’s dress, that he is nothing better than a rank thief; let him be beaten till he owns it.’ The violence of the blows made me tell a lie; I confessed, contrary to truth, that I had stolen the necklace, and immediately the officer of police ordered my hand to be cut off.

“This occasioned a great noise in the bezestein, and I was scarcely returned to my house, when the owner of it came to me, ‘My son,’ said he, ‘you seem to be a young man so prudent and well educated, how is it possible, that you should have committed an action so unworthy of yourself as that which I have just heard related? You told me the amount of your property, and I doubt not it was what you said. Why did not you ask me for money? I would willingly have lent you some; but after what has passed I cannot allow you to remain any longer in my house; resolve what you will do; for you must seek another lodging.’ I was extremely mortified at these words, and entreated the jeweller, with tears in my eyes, to suffer me to stay in his house three days longer, which he granted.

“‘Alas,’ cried I, ‘what a misfortune! What an affront! How can I venture to return to Moussoul? All that I can say to my father, will never persuade him that I am innocent.’ Three days after this accident befel me, I saw, with the utmost astonishment, a number of the attendants of the police officer come into my house, attended by my landlord and the merchant, who had falsely accused me of having stolen the necklace from him. I asked them what they wanted; but instead of replying, they bound me with cords, and poured forth the most abusive language, telling me, that the necklace belonged to the governor of Damascus, who had lost it about three years before; and that at the same time one of his daughters had disappeared. Judge of the state I was in at this intelligence; I however determined how to act. ‘I will tell the truth,’ thought I; ‘the governor shall decide, whether he will pardon me, or commit me for execution.’

“When I was conducted before him, I observed, that he looked on me with an eye of compassion, which I conceived to be a favourable omen. He ordered me to be unbound, and then addressing the merchant, who was my accuser, and the landlord of my house, ‘Is that,’ said he to them, ‘the young man who offered for sale the pearl necklace?’ They immediately answered that I was. When he added, ‘I am convinced, that he did not steal the necklace; and I am very much surprised, that such injustice should have been practised on him.’ Encouraged by this speech, ‘My lord,’ I cried, ‘I swear to you that I am innocent. I am persuaded also, that the necklace did not ever belong to my accuser, whom I never saw before, and whose horrible perfidy is the cause of the disagreeable treatment I have met with. It is true that I confessed the theft; but I made this avowal against my conscience, urged by the torments I was made to suffer, and for a reason which I am ready to relate, if you will have the goodness to listen to me.’--‘I know enough already,’ replied the governor, ‘to be able to render you immediately part of the justice which is your due. Let the false accuser be taken from hence,’ continued he, ‘and let him undergo the same punishment which he caused to be inflicted on this young man, whose innocence is well known to me.’

“The order of the governor was instantly put in execution. The merchant was led out, and punished as he deserved. After which the governor, having desired all who were present to withdraw, thus addressed me: ‘My son, relate to me, without fear, in what manner this necklace fell into your hands, and disguise nothing from me.’ I then discovered to him all that had happened; and owned, that I preferred passing for a thief to revealing this tragical adventure. ‘Great God,’ exclaimed the governor, as soon as I had done speaking, ‘thy judgments are incomprehensible, and we must submit without murmuring: I receive, with entire submission, the blow which thou hast been pleased to strike.’ Then addressing himself to me, ‘My son,’ added he, ‘having heard the account of your misfortune, for which I am extremely sorry, I will now relate mine. Know, then, that I am the father of the two ladies you have been speaking of.

“‘The first lady, who had the effrontery to seek you, even in your own house, was the eldest of all my daughters. I had married her, at Cairo, to her cousin, the son of my brother. Her husband died, and she returned here, corrupted by a thousand vices, which she had learnt in Egypt. Before her arrival, the youngest, who died in so deplorable a manner in your arms, was very prudent, and had never given me any reason to complain of her morals. Her eldest sister formed a very close friendship with her, and by insensible degrees rendered her as wicked as herself.

“‘The day following that on which the youngest died, as I did not see her when I sat down to table, I inquired for her of the eldest, who had returned home; but instead of making any reply she began to weep so bitterly, that I conceived an unlucky presage. I pressed her to inform me of what I wished to know.

“‘Father,’ replied she, sobbing, ‘I can tell you nothing more than that my sister yesterday put on her best dress, and her beautiful pearl necklace, and went out; since which she has not appeared.’ I had my daughter searched for over the city, but could learn no tidings of her unhappy fate. In the mean time my eldest daughter, who no doubt began to repent of her jealous fit, did not cease weeping and bewailing the death of her sister: she even deprived herself of all kinds of nourishment, and by that means put a period to her existence.

“‘This alas!’ continued the governor, ‘is the condition of man. These are the evils to which he is exposed. But, my son, as we are both equally unfortunate, let us unite our sorrows, and never abandon each other. I will bestow my third daughter on you in marriage: she is younger than her sisters, and does not at all resemble them in her conduct. She is even more beautiful than they were, and I can assure you, that she is of a disposition to make you happy. My house shall be your home, and after my death you and she will be my only heirs.’--‘My lord,’ said I, ‘I am quite confused by your kindness, and shall never be able to testify my gratitude.’--‘Enough,’ interrupted he, ‘let us not waste time in useless conversation.’ Saying this, he had some witnesses called, and I married his daughter without any farther ceremony.

“He was not satisfied with punishing the merchant who had falsely accused me; he also confiscated all his property, which was very considerable, to my use. In short, as you come now from the governor, you may have observed in what high estimation he holds me. I must add too, that a man, who was sent expressly by my uncles to seek me in Egypt, having discovered, in passing through this city, that I resided here, yesterday gave me letters from them. They inform me of the death of my father, and invite me to go to Moussoul to take possession of his inheritance; but as my alliance and friendship with the governor attach me to him, and do not suffer me to think of quitting him, I have sent back the express, empowering my uncles legally to transfer all that belongs to me. After what you have heard I trust you will pardon me the incivility I have been guilty of, during my illness, of presenting you my left hand instead of my right.’

“This,” said the Jewish physician to the sultan of Casgar, “is what the young man of Moussoul related to me. I remained at Damascus as long as the governor lived; after his death, as I was in the prime of my life, I had the curiosity to travel. I traversed all Persia, and went into India; at last I came to establish myself in your capital, where I exercise, with credit to myself, the profession of physician.”

The sultan of Casgar thought this story entertaining; “I confess,” said he to the Jew, “what thou hast been relating is extraordinary; but to speak frankly, the story of the hunchback is still more so, and much more comical; so do not flatter thyself with the hope of being reprieved any more than the others; I shall have you all four hanged.”--“A moment’s grace, Sire,” cried the tailor, advancing, and prostrating himself at the feet of the sultan; since your majesty likes pleasant stories, that which I shall tell you, will not, I think, displease you.”--“I will listen to thee also,” replied the sultan, “but do not entertain any hopes that I shall suffer thee to live, unless thou canst recount some adventure more diverting than that of the hunchback.” The tailor then, as if he had been sure of his business, boldly began his recital in these words:

THE STORY TOLD BY THE TAILOR.

A tradesman, Sire, of this city, did me the honor, two days since, of inviting me to an entertainment, which he gave yesterday morning to his friends: I repaired to his house at an early hour, and found about twenty people assembled.

We were waiting for the master of the house, who was gone out on some sudden business, when we saw him arrive, accompanied by a young stranger very neatly dressed, and of a good figure, but lame. We all rose, and to do honor to the master of the house, we begged the young man to sit with us on the sofa. He was just going to sit down, when perceiving a barber, who was one of the company, he abruptly stepped back; and was going away. The master of the house, surprised at this, stopped him. “Where are you going?” said he, “I bring you here to do me the honor of being present at an entertainment I am going to give my friends, and you are scarcely entered before you want to go away!”--“In the name of God, sir,” replied the stranger, “I entreat you not to detain me, but suffer me to depart. I cannot behold without horror that abominable barber, who is sitting there; although he is born in a country where the complexion of the people is white, yet he bears the colour of an Ethiopian; but his mind is of a still deeper and more horrible die than his visage.”

We were all very much surprised at this speech, and began to conceive a very bad opinion of the barber, without knowing whether the young stranger had any just reason for speaking of him in such terms. We even went so far as to declare that we would not suffer at our table a man of whom we had heard so shocking a character. The master of the house begged the stranger to acquaint us with the occasion of his hatred to the barber. “Gentlemen,” said the young man, “you must know, that this barber was the cause of my being lame; and also of the most cruel affair, which befel me, that you can possibly conceive; for this reason I have made a vow to quit instantly any place where he may be; and even not to reside in any town where he lives: for this reason I left Bagdad, where he was, and undertook so long a journey to come and settle myself in this city, where, being in the centre of Great Tartary, I flattered myself I should be secure of never beholding him again. However, contrary to my hopes and expectations, I find him here; this obliges me, gentlemen, to deprive myself of the honor of partaking of your feast. I will this day leave your city, and go to hide myself, if I can, in some place where he can never again offend my sight.” In saying this, he was going to leave us, but the master of the house still detained him, and entreated him to relate to us the cause of the aversion he had against the barber, who all this time kept his eyes fixed on the ground, and was silent. We joined our entreaties to those of the master of the house, and at last the young man, yielding to our wishes, seated himself on the sofa, and began his history in these words; having first turned his back towards the barber, lest he should see him.

“My father, who lived in Bagdad, was of a rank to aspire to the highest offices of state; but he preferred leading a quiet and tranquil life to all the honors he might deserve. I was his only child, and when he died, I had completed my education, and was of an age to dispose of the large possessions he had bequeathed me. I did not dissipate them in folly, but made such use of them as procured me the esteem of every one.

“I had not yet felt any tender passion, and far from being at all sensible to love, I will confess, perhaps to my shame, that I carefully avoided the society of women. One day, as I was walking in a street I saw a great number of ladies coming towards me; in order to avoid them, I turned into a little street that was before me, and sat down on a bench that was placed near a door. I was opposite to a window, where there was a number of very fine flowers, and my eyes were fixed on them, when the window opened and a lady appeared, whose beauty dazzled me. She cast her eyes on me, and watering the flowers, with a hand whiter than alabaster, she looked at me with a smile, which inspired me with as much love for her as I had hitherto had aversion towards the rest of her sex. After having watered her flowers, and bestowed on me another look full of charms, which completed the conquest of my heart, she shut the window, and left me in a state of pain and uncertainty which I cannot describe.

“I should have remained thus a considerable time, had not the noise I heard in the street brought me to my senses again. I turned my head as I got up, and saw, that it was one of the first cadis of the city, mounted on a mule, and accompanied by five or six of his people: he alighted at the door of the house where the young lady had opened the window, and went in, which made me suppose he was her father.

“I returned home in a state very different from that in which I had left it: agitated by a passion so much the more violent from its being the first attack. I went to bed with a raging fever, which caused great affliction in my household. My relations, who loved me, alarmed by so sudden an indisposition, came quickly to see me, and importuned me to acquaint them of the cause, but I was very careful to keep it secret. My silence increased their alarms, nor could the physicians dissipate their fears for my safety, because they knew nothing of my disease, which was only increased by the medicines they administered.

“My relations began to despair of my life, when an old lady of their acquaintance, being informed of my illness, arrived; she considered me with a great deal of attention, and after she had thoroughly examined me, she discovered, I know not by what chance, the cause of my disorder. She took them aside, and begged them to leave her alone with me, and to order my people to retire.

“The room being cleared, she seated herself near my pillow. ‘My son,’ said she, ‘you have hitherto persisted in concealing the cause of your illness; nor do I require you to confess it; I have sufficient experience to penetrate into this secret, and I am sure you will not disown what I am going to declare. It is love which occasions your indisposition. I can probably assist your cure, provided you will tell me who is the happy lady that has been able to wound a heart so insensible as yours; for you have the reputation of not liking the ladies, and I have not been the last to perceive it; however, what I foresaw is at last come to pass, and I shall be delighted if I can be of any service in releasing you from your pain.’

“The old lady having finished this speech, waited to hear my answer; but although it had made a strong impression on me, I did not dare to open my heart to her. I only turned towards her, and uttered a deep sigh, without saying a word. ‘Is it shame,’ continued she, ‘that prevents you from speaking, or is it want of confidence in my power to relieve you? Can you doubt the effects of my promise? I could mention to you an infinite number of young people of your acquaintance, who have endured the same pain that you do; and for whom I have obtained consolation.’

“In short, the good lady said so many things to me, that at length I broke silence, and declared to her the cause of my pain. I acquainted her with the place where I had seen the object that had given birth to it; and related all the circumstances of the adventure. ‘If you succeed,’ continued I, ‘and procure me the happiness of seeing this enchanting beauty, and of expressing to her the passion with which I burn, you may rely on my gratitude.’--‘My son,’ replied the old lady, ‘I know the person you mention; she is, as you justly suppose, the daughter of the principal cadi in this city. I am not surprised that you should love her; she is the most beautiful, as well as most amiable lady in Bagdad; but what grieves me is, she is very haughty, and difficult of access. You know, that many of our officers of justice are very exact, in making women observe the harsh laws which subject them to so irksome a restraint; they are still more strict in their own families, and the cadi you saw is himself alone more rigid on this point than all the others put together. As they are continually preaching to their daughters the enormity of the crime of showing themselves to men, the poor things are in general so cautious of being guilty of it, that, when necessity obliges them to walk in the streets, they make no use of their eyes, but to guide them on their way; I do not say, that this is absolutely the case with the daughter of the principal cadi; yet I am much afraid of having as great obstacles to overcome on her side, as on her father’s. Would to Heaven you loved any other lady! I should not have so many difficulties, as I foresee, to surmount. I will nevertheless employ all my address; but it will require time to succeed. At any rate take courage, and place confidence in me.’

“The old lady left me, and as I reflected with anxiety on all the obstacles she had represented to me, the fear that she would not succeed possessed me, and increased my disease. She returned the following day, and I soon read in her countenance, that she had no favourable intelligence to announce. She said, ‘My son, I was not mistaken; I have more to surmount than merely the vigilance of a father; you love an insensible object, who delights in letting those burn with unrequited passion, who suffer themselves to be charmed with her beauty; she will not allow them the least relief; she listened to me with pleasure, whilst I talked to her only of the pain she made you suffer; but no sooner did I open my mouth, to persuade her to allow you an interview, than she cast an angry look at me, and said, ‘You are very insolent to attempt to make such a proposition; and I desire you will never see me more, if it be only to hold such conversations as this!

“‘But let not that afflict you,’ continued the old lady, ‘I am not easily discouraged, and provided you do not lose your patience, I hope at last to accomplish my design.’ Not to protract my narration (said the young man) I will only say, that this good messenger made several fruitless attempts in my favor, with the haughty enemy of my peace. The vexation I endured, increased my disorder to such a degree, that the physicians gave me over. I was, therefore, considered as a man who was at the point at death, when the old lady came to give me new life.