Then,
taking the grandees of his realm from the hammam, returned to his
palace. But the barber passed the night in counting out his gold and
laying it up in bags and sealing them, and he had with him twenty
black slaves and a like number of Mamelukes and four slave girls to
serve him.
Now when morning morrowed, he opened the hammam and sent out a crier
to cry, saying: "Whoso entereth the baths and washeth shall give
that which he can afford and which his generosity requireth him to
give." Then he seated himself by the pay chest and customers flocked
in upon him, each putting down that which was easy to him, nor had
eventide evened ere the chest was full of the good gifts of Allah
the Most High. Presently the Queen desired to go to the hammam, and
when this came to Abu Sir's knowledge, he divided the day on her
account into two parts, appointing that between dawn and noon to men
and that between midday and sundown to women. As soon as the Queen
came, he stationed a handmaid behind the pay chest, for he had
taught four slave girls the service of the hammam, so that they were
become expert bathwomen and tirewomen.
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