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"A venerable old man next addressed him. 'My son,' he said, 'you must be mistaken; for how could you be last night at Cairo, and this morning at Damascus? That cannot be.' 'It is very true, notwithstanding,' replied Bedreddin Hassan; 'and I assure you, moreover, that I passed the whole of yesterday at Balsora.' He had scarcely uttered these words when they all burst into a laugh, and cried, 'He is mad, he is mad!' Some, however, pitied him on account of his extreme youth; and a man who was looking on said, 'My son, you have lost your reason: you know not what you say. How is it possible that a man should be in one day at Balsora, in the same night at Cairo, and the next morning at Damascus?' 'What I tell you,' persisted Bedreddin Hassan, 'is as true as that I was last night married in the city of Cairo.' All those who had laughed before burst into fresh shouts at hearing this. 'Take care,' resumed the person who had addressed him before, 'you must have dreamt all this, and the illusion still remains impressed on your mind.' 'I know what I am saying,' replied the youth, 'I have not dreamt I was at Cairo, for I am persuaded I was there in reality. But can you tell me what is become of my robe, my turban, and the purse of sequins I had at Cairo?'
"Although he assured them that all this was true, yet the people who listened to him only laughed at what he said. At length he rose and walked into the city; but the crowd followed him, crying out, 'A madman! a madman!' On hearing this, some of the inhabitants ran to the windows, others came out at their doors, and some joined the throng who had surrounded Bedreddin Hassan, and joined in the cry, 'A madman!' without knowing why they shouted. Tormented by his pursuers, he came to the house of a pastrycook, and entered to escape from the hooting of the mob who followed him.
"This pastrycook had formerly been the chief of a troop of wandering Arabs who attacked caravans; and although he now established at Damascus, yet he was feared by all who knew anything of his former life. His appearance soon dispersed the mob that followed Bedreddin Hassan. The pastrycook began to question the young man, inquiring who he was, and what had led him to Damascus. Bedreddin Hassan related the story of his birth, and told of the death of the grand vizier his father. He then proceeded to relate how he had left Balsora; how, after falling asleep on the tomb of his father, he had awaked to find himself at Cairo, where he married a lady. Lastly, he expressed his surprise at seeing himself in Damascus without being able to understand any of these miracles.
"'Your history is very astonishing,' said the pastrycook; 'but if you will follow my advice, you will not disclose to any one the facts you have related to me. You may remain with me till your fortunes change; and, as I have no children, I will adopt you as my son, if you consent. You may then go freely about the city, and will no longer be exposed to the insults of the populace.'
"Although this proposal conferred no great honour on the son of a grand vizier, Bedreddin Hassan nevertheless accepted the pastrycook's offer, judging, very properly, that it was the only step he could take in his present situation. The pastrycook procured him clothes; and, taking witnesses with him, went before a cadi to declare that he adopted the young man as his son. Bedreddin Hassan resided with him, and only calling himself by the simple name of Hassan, soon learned the art of making pastry.
"Whilst this was passing at Damascus, the daughter of Schemseddin Mohammed awoke; and, not finding Bedreddin Hassan by her side, concluded that he had risen softly, not to interrupt her slumbers, and that he would soon return. She was still expecting him, when her father, the vizier Schemseddin Mohammed, came to the door of her apartment. He was much affected by the affront he conceived had been put upon him by the Sultan of Egypt, and came to bewail with her on the unhappy destiny to which she had been abandoned. He called her by her name; and she no sooner heard his voice than she rose up to open the door to him. She kissed his hand, and received him with an air of so much satisfaction that the vizier, who expected to find her bathed in tears, and in grief equal to his own, was extremely surprised 'Miserable one!' cried he, in an angry tone, 'is it thus you appear before me? Bearing the horrid fate to which you have been sacrificed, can you present yourself to me with a countenance which bespeaks content?' When the bride perceived her father's displeasure at the joy which brightened her features, she replied, 'My lord, I entreat you not to reproach me so unjustly. I have not been married to that monster the hunchback, who is more detestable in my eyes than death itself; all the company treated him with such derision and contempt that he was obliged to go away and hide himself, and make room for a charming young man, who is my real husband.' 'What story is this?' cried the grand vizier; 'was not the hunchback married to you last night?' ‘ No, my lord,' returned she, 'my husband is the young man I was speaking of, who has large eyes and fine black eyebrows.' At these words Schemseddin Mohammed lost all patience, and put himself in a violent rage with his daughter. 'Ah, foolish girl!' said he, 'will you make me lose my senses by the lies you tell?' 'It is you, father,' replied she, 'who almost drive me out of my senses by your incredulity.' 'Is it not true,' persisted the vizier, 'that the hunchback--' 'Let us talk no more of the hunchback,' interrupted she; 'evil befall the hunchback! I again tell you,' she continued, 'that he has not passed the night in my chamber, but my dear husband, whom I have mentioned to you; and indeed he cannot be now at any great distance from hence.'
"Schemseddin Mohammed went out immediately to look for this husband; but, instead of finding him, he was in the greatest astonishment at seeing the humpbacked fellow standing on his head with his feet in the air, and in the very position in which the genie had left him. 'What is the meaning of all this?' he asked him. 'Who placed you in that situation?' The hunchback, who instantly recognized the vizier, answered, 'You are the man who wishes to give me in marriage to the mistress of a buffalo; to one who is in love with a genie? But I won't be your dupe, I promise you.'
"Schemseddin Mohammed thought the hunchback was out of his senses. ' Get up,' he cried, 'and stand upon your legs.' 'I will beware how I do that,' answered he, 'unless, indeed, the sun be risen. You must know, that as I was coming here yesterday evening, a large black cat suddenly appeared to me; and it kept increasing in size till it was as large as a buffalo. I shall never forget what it said to me; therefore leave me here.' Instead of complying, the vizier took hold of the hunchback by the legs and obliged him to get up. As soon as he was on his legs he ran away as fast as he could. He went directly to the palace, and presented himself before the Sultan of Egypt, who was highly amused at the account he gave of the manner in which the genie had treated him.
"Schemseddin Mohammed then went back to his daughter's apartment, quite uncertain how to think or act. 'Unhappy girl,' he said to his daughter, 'can you give me no further account of this adventure, which confuses and distracts me?' 'My father,' she replied, 'I cannot tell you anything more than I have already had the honour to relate to you. But see,' she added, 'here is some part of my husband's dress, which he has left on this chair, and perhaps this may throw some light on what you wish to discover.' So saying, she presented the turban of Bedreddin Hassan to the vizier, who examined it attentively. He then said, 'I should conjecture this to be a turban that belonged to a vizier if it were not made in the fashion of those of Moussoul.' As he was thus turning it over in his hands, he felt something sewn up in the inside of the turban between the folds. He asked, therefore, for scissors, and on unripping the turban, he discovered a paper folded up. This was the packet which Noureddin Ali on his death-bed had given to his son Bedreddin Hassan, who had concealed it in his turban. On opening the packet, Schemseddin Mohammed instantly knew the handwriting of his brother Noureddin Ali, and read the following direction: -' For my son, Bedreddin Hassan. 'Before he had time to reflect on these circumstances, his daughter put into her father's hands the purse which she had found in Bedreddin Hassan's pocket. He immediately opened it, and saw it filled with sequins; for, through the care of the genie and fairy, it had remained full in spite of all the gold that Bedreddin Hassan had bestowed on those around him. Upon a sort of ticket attached to the purse the vizier read these words:-'A thousand sequins belonging to the Jew Isaac.' And under them was the following inscription, which the Jew had written before he had left Bedreddin Hassan:-' Delivered to Bedreddin Hassan, in payment for the cargo of the first vessel that arrives in port belonging to him, and which belonged to Noureddin Ali, his father, of happy memory' The vizier had scarcely finished reading these words, when he uttered a loud cry and fainted away.
"When Schemseddin Mohammed recovered from his fainting-fit, he exclaimed, 'My daughter, be not surprised at the accident which has just happened to me; so wonderful is the adventure which has caused it, that you will hardly give credit to it. The husband who has passed the night with you is no other than your cousin, the son of Noureddin Ali. The thousand sequins in this purse remind me of the quarrel I had with my dear brother. Doubt not, this is the wedding-present he makes you. Allah be praised for all these things.' He then looked at the writing in his brother's hand, and kissed it many times, bathing it with his tears. 'Why cannot I see Noureddin Ali himself here,' he exclaimed, 'and be reconciled to him, as well as I see his handwriting, which causes me so much joy?'
"He read the packet through and found the dates of his brother's arrival at Balsora, of his marriage, and of the birth of Bedreddin Hassan; then, comparing these dates with those of his own marriage and of his daughter's birth at Cairo, he could not help wondering at the coincidence; and remembering that his nephew was his son-in-law, he gave himself up entirely to the emotions of pleasure to which all these circumstances gave rise.
"Nevertheless Schemseddin Mohammed could not understand why his nephew had disappeared: he expected him to arrive every moment, and awaited his coming with the greatest impatience. When seven days had passed, and no Bedreddin Hassan appeared, he ordered him to be sought for in every part of Cairo; but he could hear no tidings of him, and this caused him much uneasiness. 'This is, indeed,' said he, 'a singular adventure; surely such a strange fate never befell mortal before.'
"Uncertain what might happen in the course of time, he thought proper himself to write the account of what had taken place, detailing the manner in which the nuptials were celebrated, and how the hall and the chamber of his daughter were furnished. He also carefully preserved the turban, the purse, and the rest of the dress of Bedreddin Hassan.
"After some time the daughter of Schemseddin Mohammed gave birth to a son. A nurse was provided for the child, with other women and slaves to attend upon him, and his grandfather named him Agib.
"When the young Agib had attained the age of seven years, the vizier Schemseddin Mohammed, instead of having him taught to read at home, sent him to school to a master who had a great reputation for his learning; and two slaves had the care of conducting him to school and bringing him back every day. Agib used to play with his comrades; and as hey were all of much inferior condition to himself they treated him with great deference, and in this the schoolmaster set the example by excusing many faults in Agib which he did not pass over in other scholars. The blind submission with which Agib was treated completely spoiled him. He became proud and insolent; he expected his companions to bear everything from him, but would not in return comply with any of their wishes. At last he made himself so obnoxious to all the scholars that they complained of him to the master of the school. The master at first exhorted them to have patience; but perceiving that by so doing he only increased the insolence of Agib, and being tired himself of the trouble that headstrong boy gave, he said to them, 'My boys, I see that Agib is an insolent fellow. I will tell you how to mortify him in a way that will prevent his tormenting you any longer; indeed, it may perhaps prevent his returning any more to school. To-morrow when he comes, and you are going to play together, place yourselves round him and let one of you say aloud, 'We are going to play, but every one who wishes to join in the game must tell his name, and that of his father and mother. Those who refuse to do so shall not play with us.' The master then explained to them how mortified Agib would be, and they all went home with the greatest satisfaction.
"The following day, when they were assembled, they did not fail to do as their master had instructed them. They surrounded Agib, and one of them said, 'Let us play at some game, but on condition that he who cannot tell his name, and that of his father and mother, shall not play with us.' Agib and all the rest agreed to these conditions. Then the boy who had spoken first interrogated them all, and each answered satisfactory till Agib's turn came. The boy said, 'I am called Agib, my mother is named the Queen of Beauty, and my father is Schemseddin Mohammed, the vizier of the sultan.'
"At these words all the children cried, 'Agib, this is not true; that is not the name of your father, but of your grandfather.' 'Woe to you!' replied he, angrily, 'do you dare to say that the vizier Schemseddin Mohammed is not my father?' The scholars then all laughed at him, and cried out, 'No, no! he is only your grandfather, and you shall not play with us; we will take care not to come near you.' Then they left him and continued to laugh among themselves. Agib was so mortified that he began to cry.
"The master, who had been listening and heard all that passed, now made his appearance and said to Agib, 'Do not you know yet, Agib, that the vizier Schemseddin Mohammed is not your father? He is your grandfather, and the father of your mother. Like yourself, we are ignorant of the name of your father; we only know that the sultan wished to marry your mother to one of his grooms who was deformed, but that a genie took the groom's place. This is unpleasant for you, but it ought to teach you to treat your companions with less haughtiness than you have hitherto shown.'
"Vexed at the jokes of his schoolfellows, little Agib immediately left the school, and returned home in tears. He went first to the apartment of his mother, who, alarmed at seeing him in such grief, anxiously inquired the cause. When he had told her his adventure, he cried out, 'In the name of God, mother, tell me who is my father?' 'My son,' replied she, 'your father is Schemseddin Mohammed, who embraces you every day.' 'You do not tell me the truth,' said Agib, 'he is not my father, but yours. But whose son am I?' At this the Queen of Beauty, recalling to her mind the night of her marriage, which had been followed by so long a widowhood, began to weep bitterly, mourning the loss of a husband so amiable as Bedreddin Hassan.
"The Queen of Beauty and her son Agib were still weeping when Schemseddin Mohammed entered, and desired to know the cause of their grief. His daughter related the mortification her son had met with at school. This account very soon affected the vizier, who joined his tears with theirs. Being very much disturbed by this cruel reflection, he went to the palace of the sultan, prostrated himself at his master's feet, and humbly entreated permission to take a journey to seek his nephew Bedreddin Hassan, for he could not bear that the whole city should suppose his daughter had been married to a genie. The sultan felt for the grief of the vizier, approved his intention, and gave him leave to execute it; he even wrote a letter of recommendation in the most gracious manner to the princes and nobles in whose dominions Bedreddin Hassan might be, requesting them to authorize the young man's departure with the grand vizier.
"Schemseddin Mohammed immediately began to prepare for his departure, and at the end of four days he set off, accompanied by his daughter and by Agib his grandson.
"They took the road to Damascus, and travelled for nineteen days without stopping; but on the twentieth they halted in a beautiful meadow, at a little distance from the gates of the city, and had their tents pitched on the banks of a river.
"The vizier Schemseddin Mohammed declared his intention of remaining two days in this spot, proposing to continue his journey on the third. He allowed the persons in his suite to visit Damascus. They almost all availed themselves of this permission.
"The Queen of Beauty, who wished that her son Agib should also have the gratification of walking about this celebrated city, ordered the black eunuch who held the office of governor to the child to take Agib into the town, admonishing him to be very careful that the boy did not meet with any accident.
"Agib, who was magnificently dressed, set out with the eunuch. Directly they entered the city, Agib, who was as beautiful as the morning, attracted the admiration of every one. Some ran out from their doors to see him nearer; others came to the windows; and people who were walking in the streets, not satisfied with stopping to look at him, ran by his side to have the pleasure of contemplating his beauty for a longer time. The eunuch and Agib came by chance to the shop where Bedreddin Hassan was; and, pressed by the throng that surrounded them, they were obliged to stop at his door.
"The pastrycook who had adopted Bedreddin Hassan as his son had been dead some years, and to this adopted son had left his shop and all his property. Bedreddin Hassan, therefore, was now master of the shop, and exercised the trade of a pastrycook so successfully that he had acquired a great reputation in Damascus. Observing many people assembled round his door to look at Agib and the black eunuch, Bedreddin Hassan also began to examine them attentively.
"Directly he cast his eyes on Agib he felt himself agitated, without knowing why. He was not struck, like the crowd, with the extreme beauty of the boy; his emotion arose from another cause, which he could not understand. It was the force of nature which moved this tender father, and caused him to approach Agib, and say to him with an engaging air, ‘My little lord, you have won my heart; I beg you will do me the favour to walk into my shop, and eat some of my pastry, that I may have the pleasure of admiring you at my leisure.' He pronounced these words with so much tenderness that the tears came into his eyes. Little Agib was affected by his manner, and, turning towards the eunuch, said, 'This good man has a countenance that pleases me, and he speaks to me in so affectionate a manner that I cannot avoid doing what he requests; let us go in and eat some of his pastry.' 'Not so,' replied the eunuch; 'it would be a pretty tale to tell that the son of a vizier had gone into a pastrycook's shop to eat; do not think that I shall allow it.' 'Alas! my young master,' cried Bedreddin Hassan, 'those are very cruel who trust you with a man who treats you so harshly.' Then addressing the eunuch, he continued, 'My good friend, do not prevent this young gentleman from doing me the favour I ask. Rather do me the favour of coming in with him, and thus you will evince that, although you are without as brown as the chestnut, you are as white as that nut within. Do you know,' continued he, ‘that I have a secret which will change your colour from black to white?' The eunuch began to laugh on hearing this, and asked Bedreddin Hassan what this secret was. 'I will tell you,' replied the pastrycook; and immediately he recited some verses in praise of black eunuchs. The eunuch was delighted with these verses, and no longer resisted the entreaties of Bedreddin Hassan. He suffered Agib to go into the pastrycook's shop, whither he also accompanied him.
"Bedreddin Hassan was extremely pleased at having obtained his request; and, returning to his work, he said, 'I was making some cheesecakes; you must if you please, eat some, for I feel sure you will find them excellent.' Saying this, he drew a cheesecake out of the oven, and, having strewed on it some grains of pomegranate and sugar, he served it to Agib, who found it delicious. The eunuch, to whom Bedreddin Hassan presented one likewise, was of the same opinion.
"Whilst they were both eating, Bedreddin Hassan examined Agib with the greatest attention; and, reflecting that perhaps the charming wife from whom he had been so soon and cruelly separated might have brought him such a son, he could not suppress some tears. He was preparing to question the little Agib on the reason of his journey to Damascus, but had not time to satisfy his curiosity; for the eunuch took him away as soon as he had done eating. Bedreddin Hassan was not satisfied with following him with his eyes only; but, immediately shutting up his shop, he went out and overtook them by the time they had reached the gate of the city.
"The eunuch, perceiving that he followed them, said to him angrily, 'Importunate man! what do you want?' 'My good friend,' replied Bedreddin Hassan, 'do not be displeased; I have a little business just beyond the city, which I have thought of; and I must go and give orders concerning it.' This answer did not satisfy the eunuch, who turned to Agib and said, 'See what you have brought on me. You would go into this man's shop, but indeed I was a fool to suffer it.' 'Perhaps,' said Agib, ‘he may really have business beyond the city, and the road is free to all.' They then continued walking, without looking behind them, till they had reached the tents of the grand vizier; they then looked back, and saw that Bedreddin Hassan still followed them closely. Agib, perceiving that the pastrycook was within a few paces of him, feared that the vizier his grandfather would learn that he had been in a pastrycook's shop to eat. Urged by this fear, he took up a large stone that lay at his feet and threw it at Bedreddin Hassan. It struck him in the middle of his forehead, and covered him with blood. Agib then ran away as fast as he could into the tent of the eunuch.
"Bedreddin Hassan returned to the city, staunching the blood from his wound. 'I was wrong,' said he to himself, 'to leave my house and occasion so much trouble to the child; for he only treated me thus because he no doubt supposed that I had some bad design against him.' When he reached home he had his wound dressed, and consoled himself with the reflection that there were many people in this world more unfortunate than himself.
"Bedreddin Hassan continued to exercise the business of a pastrycook at Damascus, and his uncle Schemseddin Mohammed left the city three days after his arrival. The vizier took the road at Emaus, and went from thence to Hamah, and thence to Aleppo, where he rested two days. From Aleppo he crossed the Euphrates, entered Mesopotamia, and after traversing Mardin, Moussoul, Sengira, Diarbekir, and several other towns, he arrived at last at Balsora, where he directly requested an audience of the sultan. That prince, who had been informed of the rank of Schemseddin Mohammed, immediately granted his request. He received him very favourably, and asked him the cause of his journey to Balsora. 'O King!' replied the vizier Schemseddin Mohammed, ‘I am come to learn tidings of the son of Noureddin All, my brother, who had the honour of serving your majesty.' ‘It is a long time since Noureddin All died,' said the sultan; 'and as for his son, all that I can tell you is that, about two months after the death of his father, he suddenly disappeared, and no one has seen him since, notwithstanding the pains I have taken to discover him. But his mother, who was the daughter of one of my viziers, is still living.' Schemseddin Mohammed requested permission to see this lady, and to conduct her into Egypt. The sultan consented, and Schemseddin Mohammed inquired for the abode of this lady, and went to her immediately, accompanied by his daughter and her son.
"The widow of Noureddin Ali lived in the same house which had been occupied by her deceased husband. On entering it he kissed the door and a marble tablet, on which the name of his brother was written in letters of gold. He desired to speak to his sister-in-law, whose servants informed him that she was in a small edifice, built in the shape of a dome, which they showed him in the middle of a spacious court. This affectionate mother was accustomed to pass the greater part of the day and night in this building, which she had erected to represent the tomb of Bedreddin Hassan, whom she supposed to be dead, after she had long and vainly expected his return. She was then weeping for the loss of this dear son, and Schemseddin Mohammed found her plunged in the deepest affliction.
"He saluted her on entering, and informed her that he had the honour of being her brother-in-law; and also told her the reason which had caused him to leave Cairo and travel to Balsora. After he had made his sister-in-law acquainted with all that had happened at Cairo on the night of his daughters nuptials, and the surprise which the discovery of the packet that was found sewn up in Bedreddin Hassan's turban had occasioned, he presented Agib and the Queen of Beauty to her.
"When the widow of Noureddin Ali understood that the dear son she so much regretted might still be alive, she rose up and tenderly embraced the Queen of Beauty and little Agib, in whom she recognized the features of Bedreddin Hassan. She kissed the child again and again, and he received her embraces with every demonstration of joy. 'It is time, madam,' said Schemseddin Mohammed, 'to forget your sorrows and to dry your tears; for you must now arrange your affairs, and go with us into Egypt. The Sultan of Balsora has given me permission to take you with me, and I trust you will not refuse to come. I hope we shall have the good fortune to meet with my nephew your son.'
"The widow of Noureddin Ali listened to this proposal with great pleasure, and instantly began to make preparations for departure. Schemseddin Mohammed requested another audience of the sultan, to take leave of that monarch, who sent him back laden with honours. Entrusted with a present for the Sultan of Egypt, he left Balsora, and again took the road to Damascus.
"As soon as they arrived in the vicinity of that city, Schemseddin Mohammed ordered his servants to pitch the tents just without the gate by which they were to enter. He told his people he should remain there three days, that he might rest himself, and also to purchase whatever things were most curious and worthy of being presented to the Sultan of Egypt. While he himself was occupied in selecting the most beautiful stuffs, which the principal merchants brought to him, Agib entreated the black eunuch to go and walk with him in the city, declaring that he was desirous of seeing whatever he had not had time to visit when he was there before, and that he was also very anxious to get some news of the pastrycook whom he had wounded with the stone. The eunuch agreed to the proposal, and walked into the city with him, having first obtained leave of Agib's mother, the Queen of Beauty.
"They entered Damascus, walked through the great squares, saw the public buildings, and the covered market where the richest merchandise was sold. They then passed by the shop of Bedreddin Hassan, whom they found still engaged in making cheesecakes. 'Hail to you! ' said Agib to him. 'Look at me; do you not remember to have seen me before?' At these words Bedreddin Hassan cast his eyes upon the boy, and instantly recognized him. At the very same moment - Oh, surprising effect of paternal love! - he felt the same emotion he had experienced at his first meeting with Agib. He was greatly troubled; and, instead of answering him, he stood for some time unable to speak a single word. At length he said, 'Do me the favour, my young lord, once more to come into my shop, and eat a cheesecake. I beg you will pardon me for the displeasure I caused you by following you out of the city. It was a sort of charm which drew me after you, and which I could neither resist nor explain to myself.'
"Surprised at this speech of Bedreddin Hassan's, Agib replied, ‘The friendship you profess towards me is carried to excess, and I will not come into your house unless you promise faithfully not to follow me when I go away. If you pledge your word and keep it, I will come again to-morrow.' 'My little master,' answered Bedreddin Hassan, 'I will do anything you desire me.' Agib and the eunuch then entered his shop.
"Bedreddin Hassan immediately set before them some cheesecakes. ' Come,' said Agib, 'sit down by me and eat with us.' When Bedreddin Hassan was seated he was going to embrace Agib, to express to him the joy he experienced at being near him; but Agib pushed him back, saying, 'Be quiet; your friendship is too tender. Be content with looking at and conversing with me.' Bedreddin Hassan obeyed, and began to sing a song which he composed at the moment in praise of Agib. He did not eat, but was attentive to serve his guests. When they had finished eating he took a vase of sherbet, and prepared a large china bowlful, in which he put some snow, and presenting the bowl to little Agib, 'Take it,' cried he; 'it is rose sherbet, the most delicious that this city can produce; you never tasted any so good.' Agib drank some with great pleasure; Bedreddin Hassan then took the bowl and offered it to the eunuch, who drained it to the last drop.
"When Agib and the eunuch were satisfied they thanked the pastrycook for the good entertainment they had received, and returned as quickly as they could, as it was late. They arrived at the encampment of Schemseddin Mohammed, and went first to the tent which the ladies occupied. The grandmother of Agib was rejoiced to see him again; and as she had always her son Bedreddin Hassan in her mind, she could not refrain from tears on embracing the boy. ‘Ah, my child,' cried she, 'my happiness would be complete if I could have the pleasure of embracing your father Bedreddin Hassan as I embrace you.' She was just going to supper. She made him sit next her, and asked him many questions about his walk; then saying that he must be hungry, she helped him to a piece of cheesecake of her own making; and it was excellent, for, as we have already said, she could make these cakes better than any pastrycook. She gave some to the eunuch also; but they had both eaten so much that they could hardly touch it.
"Agib had scarcely begun to eat the cheesecake before him when, pretending that it did not suit his palate, he put it back on his plate; and Schaban, for this was the name of the eunuch, did the same. Vexed at seeing her grandson so indifferent about her cheesecake, the widow of Noureddin Ali said, 'What, my son!do you scorn the work of my hands in this way? Let me tell you that no one in the world can make such good cheesecakes excepting your father Bedreddin Hassan, to whom I myself taught the curious art of making them.' 'Ah, my good grandmother,' cried Agib, 'if you cannot make them better than this, there is a pastrycook in the city who surpasses you in skill; we have just been eating one in his shop, which is a great deal better than this.'
"At these words the grandmother cast an angry look at the eunuch. 'How! Schaban,' said she, 'is my grandson entrusted to your care that you should take him to eat at a pastrycook's like a beggar's child?' 'O lady,' replied the eunuch, 'it is true that we have been talking to a pastrycook, but we did not eat at his house.' ‘Indeed,' interrupted Agib, ‘we went into his shop and ate a cheesecake.' The lady, more angry than ever at the eunuch's deceit, left the table and ran to the tent of Schemseddin Mohammed, whom she informed of this misdemeanour of the eunuch in terms likely to exasperate the vizier against the delinquent.
The History of Noureddin Ali and Bedreddin Hassan 3
THE HISTORY OF NOUREDDIN ALI AND BED-REDDIN HASSAN continued...
"Schemseddin Mohammed, who was naturally of a warm temper, flew into a violent passion. He immediately repaired to the tent of his sister-in-law, and said to the eunuch: ' Wretch! hast thou the temerity to abuse the confidence I have placed in thee?' Schaban, although sufficiently convicted by the testimony of Agib, thought proper still to deny the fact. But the child maintained the contrary. 'Now, thou wicked slave,' cried the vizier, turning to the eunuch, 'after this wilt thou deny that you both went into a pastryshop and ate there?' Schaban had the effrontery to swear that it was not true. 'Thou art a liar!' said the vizier, 'I believe my grandson rather than thee. Nevertheless, if thou canst eat the whole of the cheesecake which is on this table I shall be persuaded that thou speakest the truth,'
"Though he was full to the very throat, Schaban submitted to this trial and took a bit of the cheesecake; but he was obliged to take it out of his mouth again, for his stomach turned against it. He, however, persisted in his falsehood. Irritated by the repeated falsities of the eunuch, and fully convinced that he was guilty, the vizier had him laid on the ground and ordered him to receive the bastinado. The unhappy wretch uttered loud cries on suffering this punishment, and confessed his fault. 'It is true,' cried he, 'that we did eat a cheesecake at a pastryshop; and it was an hundred times better than that which is on this table.'
"The widow of Noureddin Ali thought it was through spite to her and to mortify her that Schaban praised the pastrycook's cheesecake; therefore addressing herself to him, she said, 'I cannot believe that the cheesecakes of this pastrycook are more excellent than mine. I will be satisfied on this point; thou knowest where the man lives; go to him and bring me back a cheesecake directly.'She then ordered some money to be given to the eunuch that he might buy the cheesecake; and he set off. When he came to Bedreddin Hassan's shop he said, 'Here is some money for you; give me one of your cheesecakes; one of our ladies wishes to taste them.' There happened to be some hot cakes on the table, just out of the oven; Bedreddin Hassan chose the best, and giving it to the eunuch, said, 'Take this, I warrant it to be excellent; and I can assure you that no one in the world can make such cheesecakes excepting my mother, who perhaps is still living.'
"Schaban returned quickly to the tent with his cheesecake. He placed it before the widow of Noureddin Ali, who was impatiently expecting it. She broke off a piece to taste it; but it had scarcely touched her lips when she uttered a loud cry and fainted away. Schemseddin Mohammed, who was present, was very much surprised at this accident, and did all in his power to restore her. As soon as she was recovered she exclaimed, 'By Allah! it must have been my son, my dear son Bedreddin Hassan, who made this cake.'
"When the vizier Schemseddin Mohammed heard his sister-in-law say that it was Bedreddin Hassan who had made the cheesecake, he felt inexpressible joy; but then reflecting that this joy was altogether premature, he said to her, 'But, madam, what makes you think this? Cannot there be a pastrycook in the world who is able to make cheesecakes as well as your son?' 'I allow,' replied she, ' that there may be pastrycooks capable of making them as good, but as I make them in a very peculiar manner, and as no one except my son possesses this secret it must certainly have been he who made this. Let us rejoice, my dear brother,' added she, in a transport of joy ; 'we have at length found him whom we have been so long and so anxiously seeking.' 'Madam,' said the vizier, 'I entreat you to moderate your impatience; we shall soon know what to think of this adventure. We have only to desire the pastrycook to come here; if he be Bedreddin Hassan, you and my daughter will recollect him. But you must conceal yourselves, and see him without his seeing you, for I do not wish the discovery to take place at Damascus.'
He then left the ladies in their tent and retired to his own. Then he summoned fifty of his people before him, and said to them, 'Take each of you a stick, and follow Schaban, who will conduct you to a pastrycook's in the city. When you get there break everything you find in his shop; if he inquires why you commit such an outrage, only ask if it was not he who made the cheesecake that was bought of him by a eunuch; if he acknowledge the fact, seize him; bind him securely, and bring him to me, but take care that you do not strike or hurt him. Go, and lose no time.'
"The vizier was quickly obeyed; his people, armed with sticks and led by the black eunuch, repaired to the house of Bedreddin Hassan, where they broke in pieces the plates, the boilers, the saucepans, the tables, and all other furniture and utensils they could discover, so that Bedreddin Hassan's shop was deluged with sherbet, cream, and confectionery. At this sight Bedreddin Hassan was much astonished, and said to them in a pitiful tone: 'My good people, why do you treat me thus? What have I done?' 'Was it you,' asked they in return, 'who made the cheesecake which you sold the eunuch who is with us?' 'Yes,' said Bedreddin Hassan, 'I made it myself. What fault have you to find with it? I defy any one to make a better!' Instead of answering him they seized his person, and having torn off the linen of his turban, they made use of it to tie his hands behind him; then they dragged him by force out of his shop.
"The populace, who had gathered round, were touched with compassion for Bedreddin Hassan. They took his part, and were inclined to oppose the designs of the people of Schemseddin Mohammed; but at this moment some officers of the governor of the city arrived, and dispersing the mob, favoured the carrying off of Bedreddin Hassan; for Schemseddin Mohammed had been to the governor of Damascus to acquaint him with the order he had given, and to request his assistance and guard; and this governor, who ruled over Syria in the name of the Sultan of Egypt, did not dare to refuse anything to the vizier of his master. Bedreddin Hassan was therefore dragged away.
"On his arrival, the vizier inquired for the pastrycook When he was brought before him, poor Bedreddin Hassan said, with tears in his eyes, 'Oh, my lord, my lord, do me the favour to tell me in what I have offended you?' 'How, wretch!' exclaimed the vizier, ' was it not thou who madest the cheesecake thou sentest me?' 'I confess that it was,' replied Bedreddin Hassan, 'but what crime have I committed by doing so?' 'I will punish thee as thou deservest,' resumed Schemseddin Mohammed, 'and thou shalt pay with thy life for having made so bad a cake.' 'Woe is me!' cried Bedreddin Hassan; 'what do I hear? Is it a crime worthy of death to have made a bad cheesecake?' ‘Yes,' replied the vizier, 'and expect not from me any other treatment.'
"As Schemseddin Mohammed had resolved to set off that same night, he ordered the tents to be struck and all preparations to be made for the commencement of the journey. As for Bedreddin Hassan, the vizier gave instructions that he might be put in a well-fastened case, and carried on a camel. As soon as everything was in readiness, the vizier and the people in his suite began their march. They travelled the whole of that night and the following day without resting; at the approach of night they stopped. They then took Bedreddin Hassan out of his case to give him some food; but they were careful to keep him at a distance from his mother and his wife; and during the twenty days occupied by their journey they treated him in the same manner.
"On reaching Cairo they encamped without the city walls, by order of the vizier, who desired his servants to bring Bedreddin Hassan before him. When the prisoner was come, Schemseddin Mohammed said to a carpenter, whom he had sent for on purpose, 'Go, and get some wood, and cut me a large stake immediately.' 'Oh, my lord,' cried Bedreddin Hassan, 'what are you going to do with this stake?' 'To fasten you to it,' replied the vizier, 'and then have you carried through all the quarters of the city, that every one may behold in thee a vile pastrycook, who makes cheesecakes without putting pepper in them.' At these words Bedreddin Hassan exclaimed in so comic a manner that Schemseddin Mohammed had difficulty to refrain from laughter: 'Oh, Allah! is it then for not having put pepper in a cheesecake that I am condemned to suffer a cruel and ignominious death? What!' said Bedreddin Hassan, 'was everything in my house to be broken and destroyed, myself imprisoned in a box, and at last a stake prepared for my execution! was all this done only because I did not put pepper in a cheesecake? Powers of Heaven! who ever heard of such a thing?'
"As the night was now far advanced, Schemseddin Mohammed ordered Bedreddin Hassan to be put back into his case, and said to him,' Remain there till to-morrow; the day shall not pass before I order thee to be put to death.' The case was taken away and placed on the camel that had brought it from Damascus; all the other camels were reladen, and the vizier mounting his horse, ordered that the camel which carried his nephew should go before him: thus he entered the city, followed by all his equipage. After passing through several streets, he arrived at his house, where the case was deposited with strict charge not to open it till he should think proper.
"Whilst they were unloading the other camels, Schemseddin Mohammed took aside the mother of Bedreddin Hassan and his daughter, and addressing the latter, said, 'God be praised, my dear daughter, that we have so happily met with your cousin and husband. I dare say you recollect the state in which your chamber was on the night of your nuptials? Go and have everything placed as it was then. If by chance you do not remember it, I can supply the defect in your memory by the description I wrote at the time. On my part, I will go and give orders for the rest.'
"The Queen of Beauty went joyfully to execute the commands of her father, who began to place all the things in the hall in the same position as when Bedreddin Hassan was there with the humpbacked groom of the Sultan of Egypt. As he read the writing, his servants put each piece of furniture in its place. The throne was not forgotten, nor the lighted torches. When everything was prepared in the hall, the vizier entered the chamber of his daughter, where he placed the clothes of Bedreddin Hassan, together with the purse of sequins. Then he said to the Queen of Beauty: 'Undress yourself, my daughter, and go to bed; and when Bedreddin Hassan comes into this chamber, begin to complain of his long absence, and tell him that you were much surprised when you awoke not to find him by your side. Press him to return to bed; and to-morrow morning you will entertain your mother-in-law and me with the account of what he says.' At these words, he went out of his daughter's chamber, and left her.
"Schemseddin Mohammed commanded all the servants, excepting only two or three, to go out of the hall, and to these he gave directions to take Bedreddin Hassan out of the case, to put him on a shirt and drawers, and thereupon to bring him into the hall, where they were to leave him alone, and shut the door. In spite of his unhappy condition, Bedreddin Hassan had fallen so soundly asleep, that the servants of the vizier took him out of the case, and put on his shirt and drawers, without waking him; and then they carried him so quickly into the hall that they did not give him time to recollect himself. When he found himself alone in the hall, he looked round; and the things he saw reminding him of his marriage, he perceived with astonishment, on a closer inspection, that this was the same hall in which he had seen the humpbacked groom. His surprise increased when, drawing near to the door of a chamber which he found open, he saw his clothes in the same spot where he remembered to have placed them on the night of his nuptials. 'Good heavens!' said he, rubbing his eyes, 'am I asleep or awake?'
"The Queen of Beauty, who watched him, was much amused at his astonishment. She drew aside the curtain of the bed, and advancing her head, said in a tender voice, ‘My lord, what are you doing at the door? Come and lie down again. You have been absent a long time; I was much surprised, when I awoke, not to find you by my side.' Bedreddin Hassan's countenance changed when he perceived that the lady who spoke to him was the same charming person to whom he had been married years ago. He went into the chamber; but instead of going to bed, as his mind was full of the thoughts of what had passed during the last ten years, and he could not persuade himself that so many events had taken place in only one night, he approached the chair where his clothes and purse of sequins were. These he examined with great attention, and then exclaimed, ‘By the great living God! these are things which I cannot understand.' The lady, who was diverted at his embarrassment, said to him, ‘Once more, my dear lord, let me beg you to come to bed; what troubles you thus?' At these words, he advanced towards the Queen of Beauty, and said, 'I entreat you, madam, to acquaint me if it is long since I left you.' 'The question surprises me,' replied she; 'did you not just now rise from the bed? Your mind must be strangely disturbed.' 'Madam,' resumed Bedreddin Hassan, 'my spirits certainly are not very composed. I remember to have been with you, it is true; but I also remember to have lived ten years at Damascus. If I have really slept with you this night, I cannot have been absent so long.' 'Yes, my lord,' replied the Queen of Beauty, 'you have no doubt dreamt that you were at Damascus.' 'What a ridiculous thing is this!' cried Bedreddin Hassan, bursting into a laugh; 'I assure you, madam, that this dream will appear to you very laughable. I found myself at the gates of Damascus in my shirt and drawers, just as I am at this moment; I entered the city amidst the shouts and hisses of the populace, who followed to insult me; I took refuge with a pastrycook who adopted me, taught me his business, and left me all his property when he died; after his death I kept his shop. In short, madam, a great number of adventures befell me, which would be too tedious to relate; all I can say is, that I did well to awake, for they were going to nail me to a stake.' 'And why,' said the Queen of Beauty, pretending surprise, 'why were you to suffer so cruelly? You must have committed some heinous crime,' 'No indeed,' replied Bedreddin Hassan, 'it was for the most ridiculous thing you can conceive. My only crime was that I had sold a cheesecake in which I had not put any pepper.' 'I must confess,' said the lady, laughing heartily, 'that you were treated very unjustly.' '0 madam,' resumed he, 'this was not all; on account of this cursed cheesecake, in which I was accused of not having put any pepper, they broke and destroyed everything in my shop; they bound me with cords, and shut me up in a case, where I was so closely confined that I feel as if I were still in it. At last they sent for a carpenter, and ordered him to prepare a stake to crucify me. But God be praised that all this is only a dream.'
"Bedreddin Hassan did not pass the night very quietly; he awoke from time to time, and asked himself whether he was dreaming or awake. He doubted his good fortune; and, wishing to ascertain the truth, he drew the curtains, and cast his eyes round the room. 'I am not deceived,' said he; 'this is the same chamber into which I came instead of the hunchback, and where I saw the beautiful lady who was destined for him.' Daylight, which now began to appear, had not removed his uneasiness when the vizier Schemseddin Mohammed, his uncle, knocked at the door, and entered to wish him good day. Bedreddin Hassan was extremely surprised to see a man with whom he was so well acquainted appear immediately after; but the visitor no longer bore the appearance of the terrible judge who had pronounced the decree of his death. ' Ah!' cried he, 'it is you who have treated me so cruelly, and condemned me to a death, the thoughts of which still fill me with horror, for having made a cheesecake without putting pepper in it!' The vizier laughed; and, to dispel Bedreddin Hassan's fears, related how, by the interference of a genie (for the account he had received from the hunchback made him suspect the truth) the young man had been conveyed to his house, and had married his daughter instead of the groom belonging to the sultan. He then acquainted him that it was by means of the packet written by Noureddin Ali that he had discovered him to be his nephew; and at last told him how, in consequence of this discovery, he had left Cairo, and had gone to Balsora in search of him. 'My dear nephew,' added he, embracing Bedreddin Hassan with the greatest tenderness, 'I beg your pardon for all I have made you suffer since I have discovered you. I wished to bring you here before I acquainted you with your good fortune, which you must find so much the more pleasant, as it has cost you so much pain. Console yourself for all your afflictions with the joy you must experience at being again with those who are most dear to you. Whilst you dress yourself, I will summon your mother, who is all impatience to embrace you; and I will bring you your son, whom you saw at Damascus, and towards whom you felt so much affection without knowing him.'
"No words can give any idea of the joy of Bedreddin Hassan when he saw his mother and his son Agib. These three persons embraced each other with all the transports which nature and the tenderest affection can inspire.
"Whilst these things were passing in the house of Schemseddin Mohammed, the vizier himself had gone to the palace, to give the sultan an account of the success of his journey. The sultan was so delighted at the account of this wonderful history, that he ordered it to be written and carefully preserved among the archives of his kingdom."
"The vizier Giafar, having concluded the history of Bedreddin Hassan, said to the Caliph: ‘Commander of the Faithful, this is what I had to relate to your majesty.' The caliph thought this history so surprising that he did not hesitate to grant a pardon to the slave Rihan; and to console the young man for the loss of a wife he tenderly loved, the caliph married him to one of his slaves.
"But, my lord,' added Scheherazade, "however entertaining the history I have related may have been, I know another which is far more wonderful: if your majesty will but hear it to-morrow night, I am sure you will think so too. "Shahriar arose without making any reply, for he was doubtful what he should do. "This good sultana," said he to himself, "relates very long stories; and when she has once begun one, there is no possibility of refusing to hear the whole of it. I do not know whether I ought not to order her death to-day; yet no, I will not do anything precipitately. The story she promises me is, perhaps, the most amusing of any I have yet heard, and I must not deprive myself of the pleasure of hearing it. After she has finished it I will give orders for her execution."
Dinarzade did not fail on the following morning to wake the sultana before daybreak, according to her usual custom. And Scheherazade, having requested permission of Shahriar to relate the history she had promised him, began as follows:-
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