Classics Retold

Ninety fifth night. Shahrazad said: I heard, O happy King, that Ja'far said to the Caliph. Badr al-Din said to Ajib, "When I followed you, I was beside myself." Ajib replied, "You must be very fond of us. You gave us a mouthful of food, and assuming that we owed you something you tried to dishonour us. This time we will not eat anything unless you swear that you will not hold us under any obligation, follow us or make any claim on us. Else we will not visit you again. We are staying here for a about a week, so that my grandfather may buy presents for the king of Egypt." Badr al-Din said, "Well you may do as you please." Eunuch and Ajib entered the shop, and Badr al-Din ladled from the top of the pot, a boulful of food and placed it before them. Ajib said to him, "Sit down and eat with us." Badr al-Din was glad and sat down and ate with his son, with his eyes fixed on him, for his whole being yearmed for him. Ajib said, "Ha ha haven't...

Two days after Mr Bennet's return, as Jane and Elizabeth were walking together in the shrubbery behind the house, they saw the housekeeper coming towards them, and said, "I beg your pardon, madam, for interrupting you, but I was in hopes, you might have some good news from town, so I took the liberty of coming to ask." "What do you mean, Hill? We have heard nothing from the town." "Dear madam," cried Mrs Hill, in great astonishment, "don't you know there is an express come for master from Mr Gardiner?  He has been there this half-hour, and master has had a letter." Away ran the girls, too eager to get in to have time to speak.  They ran through the vestibule into the breakfast room; from there to the library; their father was in neither; and they were on the point of seeking him upstairs with their mother, when they were met by the butler, who said: "If you are looking for my master, ma'am, he is walking towards the little copse....

Ninety fourth night  Shahrazad said: I heard, O happy King, Ja'far said to the Caliph: Shams al-Din told her what happened and how Badr al-Din Hasan had spent a night at his house, ten years ago, but had disappeared in the morning, how on that night the young man had gone into his daughter, taken her virginity, and made her pregnant, and how when her time came, she gave birth to a boy. The boy is with me. "Here is the son of your son," said Shams al-Din, bringing the boy in front of him. She embraced Ajib pressing him.to her heart and kissed him. Tears of happiness trickled down her cheeks and she kissed the boy again and again. Shams al-Din said to her, "Get yourself ready and come with us to Egypt in search of your son, if God willing we may reunite with him." The vizier went to take leave of the king. The king provided him for the journey and loaded him with gifts to king of Cairo. Shams al-Din and his team set out of Basra. Badr al-Din's mother also acco...

Next morning. Everybody had been expecting a letter from Mr Bennet.  The post came, but not his letter.  His family knew him to be a negligent and slow correspondent, but at such a time they had hoped for exertion. They concluded that he had no pleasing intelligence to send.  Mr Gardiner had waited only for letters before he set off. Mrs Gardiner and the children were to remain a few more days in Hertfordshire.  She thought her presence to be essential to her nieces.  The other aunt also visited them frequently with a design of cheering and heartening them up. She always brought some fresh instances of Wickham's extravagance or irregularity. All Meryton seemed striving to blacken the man who, but three months before had always been an angel of light.  He was declared to be in debt to every tradesman in the place, and his intrigues, all honoured with the title of seduction, had been extended to every tradesman's family.  He was declared as the wicked an...

Ninety third night. Shahrazad said: O happy King, Ja'far said to the Caliph: Badr al-Din returned to his shop. Meanwhile, his uncle Shams al Din Muhammad stayed in Damascus for three days. From there he went to Homs, and then to Hama [1] Here he spent a night. Then he went to Aleppo, and stayed there for two days. Then going through Dyarbakir, Mardin, Sinjar and Mosul [2] he reached Basra. In Basra he went to meet the king. The king received him with honour and esteem, and asked the reason for his coming. Shams al Din related to him his story and told him that his vizier, Nur al-Din Ali of Egypt, was his brother. The king commended  Nur al-Din's soul to the mercy of God and said, "My lord, he lived here for fifteen years; then he died, leaving a son, who stayed here only one month after his father's death, and disappeared without any trace or news. But his mother who was the daughter of my old vizier is still with us." Shams al-Din asked the king for permission to...

As they drove from the town her uncle said, "Elizabeth, I am inclined to take the view of Jane, in this regard.  It is unlikely that a young man should form such a design against a young girl, who is by no means unprotected and friendless, and who was actually staying in his Colonel's family.  Could he expect that her friends would not step forward?  Could he not expect to be noticed by the regiment, after such an affront to the Colonel.  His temptation is not equal to the risk. I am strongly inclined to hope the best." "Do you really think so?" cried Elizabeth brightening up. "Upon my word," said Mrs Gardiner, "I begin to be of your uncle's opinion.  It is too great a violation of decency, honour and interest for him to be a guilty of.  I cannot think so very ill of Wickham.  Can you yourself, Lizzy, so wholly give him up, as to believe him capable of it?" "Not perhaps, of neglecting his own interest.  But in every other, he is capa...