Page:Arabian Nights Entertainments (1728)-Vol. 2.djvu/6

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The Thirty Second Night.

THE next Night being almoſt at an end, Dinarzade call’d to the Sultaneſs, for Heaven’s ſake, Siſter, if you are awake, let me pray you to continue the Story of the three fair Ladies, I am very impatient till I know who it was that knock’d at their Gate: You ſhall hear it immediately, ſaid ſhe, and I am ſure that what I am now going to relate, is worthy of my Lord the Sultan’s Attention.

When the Ladies (ſays ſhe) heard the knocking, they all three got up to open the Gate; but Safie, to whom this Office did particularly belong, was the nimbleſt; which her other two Siſters perceiving, ſat down till ſhe came back, to acquaint them who it could be that had any Buſineſs with them ſo late. Safie returning, ſaid, Siſters, we have here a very fine Opportunity to paſs a good part of the Night with much Satisfaction, and if you be of the ſame Mind with me, we ſhall not let it ſlip. There are three Callenders at our Gate, at leaſt they appear to be ſuch by their Habit, but that which you will moſt admire at is, they are all three blind of the right Eye, and have their Heads, Beards, and Eye-brows ſhaved, and, as they ſay, are but juſt come to Bagdad, where they never were before; and it being Night, and not knowing where to find any Lodging, they happen’d by chance to knock at this Gate, and pray us, for the Love of Heaven, to have Compaſſion on them, and receive them into the Houſe; they care not what Place we put them in, provided they may be under Shelter, they would be ſatisfied with a Stable: They are young and handſome enough, and ſeem alſo to be Men of good Senſe; but I cannot without laughing, think of their pleaſant and uniform Figure. Here Safie fell a laughing ſo heartily, that it put the two Siſters and the Porter into the ſame Mood. My dear Siſters, ſaid ſhe, are you content that they come in, it is impoſſible but with ſuch Perſons as I have already deſcribed them to be, we ſhould finiſh the Day better than we began it; they will afford us Diverſion enough, and put us
to
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