But，O my lady，belike there be a company come from his parents at Cairo and he hath made them an entertainment in the lodging where they alighted，being ashamed to bring them hither，for that the place is not spacious enough for them or because their condition is less than that he should bring them to his own house；or belike he preferred to conceal thine affair from them，so passed the night with them；and Inshallah！ to-morrow he will come to thee safe and sound.So burden not thy soul with cark and care，O my lady，for of a certainty this is the cause of his absence from thee last night and I will abide with thee this coming night and comfort thee；until thy lord return to thee.'So the druggist's wife abode with her and cheered her with talk throughout the dark hours and，when it was morning，Miriam saw her lord enter the street followed by the Frank and amiddlemost a company of merchants，at which sight her side-muscles quivered and her colour changed and she fell a-shaking，as ship shaketh in mid-ocean for the violence of the gale.When the druggist's wife saw this，she said to her，'O my lady Miriam what aileth thee that I see thy case changed and thy face grown pale and show disfeatured？'Replied she，'By Allah，O
my lady，my heart forebodeth me of parting and severance of union！'And she bemoaned herself with the saddest sighs，reciting these couplets，[493]'Incline not to parting，I pray；* For bitter its savour is aye.
E'en the sun at his setting turns pale * To think he must part from the day；
And so，at his rising，for joy * Of reunion，he's radiant and gay.'
Then Miriam wept passing sore wherethan naught could be more；making sure of separation，and cried to the druggist's wife，'O my mother，said I not to thee that my lord Nur al-Din had been tricked into selling me？ I doubt not but he hath sold me this night to yonder Frank，albeit I bade him beware of him；but deliberation availeth not against destiny.So the truth of my words is made manifest to thee.'Whilst they were talking；behold，in came Nur al-Din，and the damsel looked at him and saw that his colour was changed and that he trembled and there appeared on his face signs of grief and repentance： so she said to him，'O my lord Nur al-Din，meseemeth thou hast sold me.'
Whereupon he wept with sore weeping and groaned and lamented and recited these couplets，[494]
'When e'er the Lord'gainst any man；Would fulminate some harsh decree；And he be wise，and skilled to hear；And used to see；
He stops his ears，and blinds his heart；And from his brain ill judgment tears；And makes it bald as'twere a scalp；Reft of its hairs；[495]
Until the time when the whole man Be pierced by this divine command；
Then He restores him intellect To understand.'
Then Nur al-Din began to excuse himself to his handmaid，saying；'By Allah，O my lady Miriam，verily runneth the Reed with whatso Allah hath decreed.The folk put a cheat on me to make me sell thee，and I fell into the snare and sold thee.Indeed，I have sorely failed of my duty to thee；but haply He who decreed our disunion will vouchsafe us reunion.'Quoth she，'I warned thee against this，for this it was I dreaded.'Then she strained him to her bosom and kissed him between the eyes，reciting these couplets；'Now，by your love！ your love I'll ne'er forget，* Though lost my life for stress of pine and fret：
I weep and wail through livelong day and night * As moans the dove on sandhill-tree beset.
O fairest friends，your absence spoils my life；* Nor find I meeting-place as erst we met.'
At this juncture，behold，the Frank came in to them and went up to Miriam，to kiss her hands；but she dealt him a buffet with her palm on the cheek，saying，'Avaunt，O accursed！ Thou hast followed after me without surcease，till thou hast cozened my lord into selling me！ But O accursed，all shall yet be well；Inshallah！'The Frank laughed at her speech and wondered at her deed and excused himself to her，saying，'O my lady Mirian，what is my offence？ Thy lord Nur al-Din here sold thee of his full consent and of his own free will.Had he loved thee，by the right of the Messiah，he had not transgressed against thee！ And had he not fulfilled his desire of thee，he had not sold thee.'Quoth one of the poets；'Whom I irk let him fly fro' me fast and faster * If I name his name I am no directer.
Nor the wide wide world is to me so narrow * That I act expecter to this rejecter.'[496]
Now this handmaid was the daughter of the King of France，the which is a wide an spacious city，[497] abounding in manufactures and rarities and trees and flowers and other growths，and resembleth the city of Constantinople；and for her going forth of her father's city there was a wondrous cause and thereby hangeth a marvellous tale which we will set out in due order，to divert and delight the hearer.[498]--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
