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“ THE MERCHANT OF CAIRO AND THE FAVOURITE OF THE KHALIF EL MAMOUN EL HAKIM BI AMRILLAH. [1]
As I sat one day in my shop, there came up to me a fair woman, as she were the moon at its rising, and with her a slave-girl. Now I was a handsome man in my time ”

“ So he opened it and finding it full of jewels and jacinths and earrings and seal-rings and precious stones, such as are not found save with kings and sultans, took it, and me with it, and ceased not to put me to the question with beating and torment till I confessed to them the whole affair from beginning to end, whereupon they carried me to the Khalif and I told him all that had passed between me and her; and he said to me, “O man, depart from this city, for I acquit thee for thy valiance sake and because of thy [constancy in] keeping thy secret and thy daring in exposing thyself to death.” ”

“ Meanwhile, I traded with the money and sold and bought and made other thousand dinars profit [on it] .
Presently, she came to me again and I said to her, “Here is thy money and I have gained [with it] other thousand dinars.” Quoth she, “Keep it by thee and take these other thousand dinars. As soon as I have departed from thee, go thou to Er Rauzeh [4] and build there a goodly pavilion, and when the building thereof is accomplished, give me to know thereof.” ”