Dinarzade did not fail to awake the sultaness of the
Indies, who thus commenced her story.
THE STORY OF THE LITTLE HUNCH-BACK.
There was in former times at Casgar, upon the utmost borders of
Tartary, a tailor who had a pretty wife, whom he ardently loved,
and by whom he was loved in return. One day, as he sat at work, a
little hunch-back my lord came and sat down at the shop-door,
began singing, at same time playing upon a tabor. The tailor was
pleased to hear him, and had a strong mind to take him to his
house to make his wife merry: This little fellow, said he to his
wife, will divert us both very agreeably. In fine, he invited my
lord, who readily accepted of the invitation; the tailor then
shut up his shop, and conducted him in. The little gentleman
being arrived at the tailor's house, his wife covered the table,
and they sat down to sup on a good large dish of fish; but as
they ate heartily, the little crooked gentleman unluckily
swallowed a large bone, of which he died in a few minutes,
notwithstanding all the tailor and his wife could do to prevent
it. Both were mightily frightened at the accident, especially as
it happened in their house; and there was reason to fear, that if
the justiciary magistrates should hear of it, they would be
punished as assassins. The husband, however, found an expedient
to get rid of the corpse: recollecting that there was a Jewish
doctor who lived just by, he formed a project, to execute which,
his wife and he took the corpse, the one by the feet and the
other by the head, and carried it to the physician's house.
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