The Seventh Night.
When the seventh night drew near a close, Dinarzade awaked the
sultaness, and prayed her to continue the story of the second old
man. I will, answered Scheherazade, provided the sultan, my lord
and master, do not oppose it. Not at all, says Shahriar; I am so
far from opposing it, that I desire you earnestly to go on with
it.
To resume the thread of the story, says Scheherazade, you must
know that the old man, who led the two dogs, continued his story
to the genie, the other two old men, and the merchant, thus: In
short, says he, after two months sail, we arrived happily at a
port, where we landed, and had a very great vent for our goods. I
especially sold mine so well, that I gained ten to one; and we
bought commodities of that country to transport and sell in our
own.
When we were ready to embark in order to return, I met, upon the
banks of the sea, a lady handsome enough, but poorly clad. She
came up to me presently, kissed my hand, prayed me, with the
greatest earnestness imaginable, to marry her, and take her along
with me. I made some difficulty to agree to it; but she said so
many things to persuade me that I ought to make no objections to
her poverty, and that I should have all the reason in the world
to be satisfied with her conduct, that I yielded.
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