There was a man in Cairo and he had a wife who ever boasted of her gentle blood and her obedience and her docility and her fear of the Lord. Now she happened to have in the house a pair of fatted ganders and she also had a lover whom she kept in the background. Presently, the man came to visit her and seeing beside her the plump birds felt his appetite sharpened by them, so he said to her, "O Such an one, needs must you let cook these two geese with the best of stuffing so that we may make merry over them, for that my mind is bent upon eating goose flesh." she said, " 'Tis right easy;

and by your life, O So and so, I will slaughter them and stuff them and you will take them and carry them home with you and eat them, nor shall this pimp my husband taste of them or even smell them." "How will you do?" he asked, and she answered, "I will serve him a sleight shall enter into his brains and then give them to you, for none is dear to me as yourself, O you light of my eyes; whereas this pander my mate shall not touch a bittock of it." Upon this agreement the lover went from her and when her husband returned at sunset tide she said to him, "Ho Man, how can you ever call yourself a man when you never invitest anybody to your house and no day of the days you say me, 'I have a guest coming to us,' even as another would do; and folk surely will talk of you and declare you are a miser and unknowing the ways of generosity." "O Woman," he said, "this were for me an easy business and tomorrow morning (God willing!) I will buy for you flesh and rice and you will let cook for us or dinner or supper, whereto I will invite one of my intimates." she said to him, "Nay, O Man; rather do you buy for me a pound of mince meat; then slaughter the two geese and I will stuff them and fry them, for that nothing is more savoury to set before guests."

He said, "Upon my head and my eye be it!" And as soon as it was dawn he slaughtered the geese and went forth and bought a Rotolo of meat which he minced and took all was required of rice and hot spices and what not else. These he carried home to his wife and said to her, "Do you finish off your cooking before midday when I will bring my guests," and presently he fared forth from her. Then she arose and cleaned out the geese and stuffed them with minced meat and a portion of rice and almonds and raisins; and fried them until they were well cooked; after which she sent for her lover and as soon as he came she and he made merry together, and she gave him the geese which he took up and left her. Then her sister Dunyazad said, "How sweet and tasteful is your tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" She said, "And where is this compared with what I would relate to you on the coming night if the Sovran permits me to survive?"

Now when it was the next night, and that was

The Woman Who Humoured Her Lover. 257

The Seven Hundred and Eighty first Night

Dunyazad said to her, "In God's name, O my sister, If you be other than sleepy, finish for us your tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and good will!" It has reached me, the director, the right guiding, lord of the counsel which is benefiting and of deeds fair seeming and worthy celebrating, that the woman gave to her lover the geese which she had fried and he took the twain and fared away with them. Now when it was noon suddenly her husband came home accompanied by a friend and knocked at the door; so she arose and opened to him and admitted them. Then she asked, "And have you brought only one man? hie you forth and fetch at least two or better still three." " 'Tis well," he said and went off to do her bidding. Then the woman accosted the guest who came first and cried, "Oh the pity of it! By God you are lost and the Lá Haul of Allah is upon you and doubtless you have no children."

Now when the man heard these words he exclaimed, "Why, O Woman?" for indeed fear and affright had sunk deep into his heart. She rejoined, "truly my husband has not brought you here save with the intention of cutting off your precious stones the honours of your yard and of gelding you to a Castrato; and heigho and alas for you whether you die or whether you live, and Oh the pity of it for you!"

Now when the man heard this speech, he arose in haste and hurry and rushed out by the door, when behold, the husband came bringing with him two of his familiars. So the wife met him at the entrance and said to him, "O Man, O miserablest of men, O you disappointed, O you dissatisfied, you have brought to me a fellow which was a thief, a never do well like unto yourself." "How so?" he asked, and she answered, "The man stole the two geese and stole away." Thereupon the husband went out and catching sight of the guest running off shouted to him, "Come back! Come back! Even although you bring only one with you and take the other." Cried the man in reply, "If you catch me do you take you the two." But the house master meant the two geese whilst the man who was running away thought only of himself, saying in his mind, "This one speaks of my ballocks, meaning that he will take only one of my stones and leave me the other."

So he did not stop running and the other followed after him, but being unable to catch him he returned to his guests and served them with something of bread and so forth, whilst the woman kept blaming him and nagging about the matter of the geese which she said had been carried off, but which had been given by her to her lover. The husband enjoined her to silence; however she would not hold her peace and in this way he was balked of the meal to feed his wife's friend. And now (Said Shahrazad) I will relate to you something of the wiles of an honest woman, and thereupon she fell to recounting the adventure of