Then he went with the other ass- to wit, the beast
whereon was laid the corpse- to the widow's house and knocked gently
at the door.
Now Kasim had a slave girl shrewd and sharp-witted, Morgiana
hight. She as softly undid the bolt and admitted Ali Baba and the
ass into the courtyard of the house, when he let down the body from
the beast's back and said: "O Morgiana, haste thee and make thee ready
to perform the rites for the burial of thy lord. I now go to tell
the tidings to thy mistress, and I will quickly return to help thee in
this matter." At that instant Kasim's widow, seeing her
brother-in-law, exclaimed: "O Ali Baba, what news bringest thou of
my spouse? Alas! I see grief tokens written upon thy countenance.
Say quickly what hath happened." Then he recounted to her how it had
fared with her husband and how he had been slain by the robbers and in
what wise he had brought home the dead body. Ali Baba pursued: "O my
lady, what was to happen hath happened, but it behooveth us to keep
this matter secret, for that our lives depend upon privacy." She
wept with sore weeping and made answer: "It hath fared with my husband
according to the fiat of Fate, and now for thy safety's sake I give
thee my word to keep the affair concealed.
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