When the old man with dyed beard heard such words from the slave-girl, he raged with exceeding rage in fury’s last stage and said to the broker, “O most ill-omened of brokers, this day thou hast brought to our market naught save this gibing baggage to flout at all who are therein, one after other, and fleer at them with flyting verse and idle jest?” And he came down from his shop and smote on the face the broker who took her an angered and carried her away saying to her, “By Allah, never in my life saw I a more shameless wench than thyself[[464]]! Thou hast cut off my daily bread and thine own this day and all the merchants will bear me a grudge on thine account.” Then they saw on the way a merchant called Shihab al-Dín who bid ten dinars more for her, and the broker asked her leave to sell her to him. Quoth she, “Trot him out that I may see him and question him of a certain thing, which if he have in his house, I will be sold to him; and if not, then not.” So the broker left her standing there and going up to Shihab al-Din, said to him, “O my lord, know that yonder damsel tells me she hath a mind to ask thee somewhat, which an thou have, she will be sold to thee. Now thou hast heard what she said to thy fellows, the merchants,”——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Eight Hundred and Seventy-second Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the broker said to the merchant, “Thou hast heard what this handmaid said to thy fellows, the traders, and by Allah, I fear to bring her to thee, lest she do with thee like as she did with thy neighbours and so I fall into disgrace with thee: but, an thou bid me bring her to thee, I will bring her.” Quoth the merchant, “Hither with her to me.” “Hearing and obeying,” answered the broker and fetched for the purchaser the damsel, who looked at him and said, “O my lord, Shihab al-Din hast thou in thy house round cushions stuffed with ermine strips?” Replied Shihab al-Din, “Yes, O Princess of fair ones, I have at home half a score such cushions; but I conjure thee by Allah, tell me, what will thou do with them?” Quoth she, “I will bear with thee till thou be asleep, when I will lay them on thy mouth and nose and press them down till thou die.” Then she turned to the broker and said to him, “O thou refuse of brokers, meseemeth thou art mad, in that thou showest me this hour past, first to a pair of grey-beards, in each of whom are two faults, and then thou proferrest me to my lord Shihab al-Din wherein be three defects; firstly, he is dwarfish, secondly, he hath a nose which is big, and thirdly, he hath a beard which is long.” Of him quoth one of the poets:—
We never heard of wight nor yet espied ✿ Who amid men three gifts hath unified:
To wit, a beard one cubit long, a snout ✿ Span-long and figure tall a finger wide.
And quoth another poet:—
From the plain of his face springs a minaret ✿ Like a bezel of ring on his finger set:
Did creation enter that vasty nose ✿ No created thing would elsewhere be met.
When Shihab al-Din heard this, he came down from his shop and seized the broker by the collar, saying, “O scurviest of brokers, what aileth thee to bring us a damsel to flout and make mock of us, one after other, with her verses and talk that a curse is?” So the broker took her and carried her away from before him and fared, saying, “By Allah, all my life long, since I have plied this profession never set I eyes on the like of thee for unmannerliness nor aught more curst to me than thy star, for thou hast cut off my livelihood this day and I have gained no profit by thee save cuffs on the neck-nape and catching by the collar!” Then he brought her to the shop of another merchant, owner of negro slaves and white servants, and stationing her before him, said to her, “Wilt thou be sold to this my lord ’Alá al-Dín?” She looked at him and seeing him hump-backed, said, “This is a Gobbo,” and quoth the poet of him:—
Drawn in thy shoulders are and spine thrust out, ✿ As seeking star which Satan gave the lout[[465]];