Classics Retold

One hundred and sixth night. The hunchback tambourine player and singer was choked to death when the tailor pushed a piece of fish to the former's mouth and shut it with his hands. Tailor's wife worked up to cover up the crime, and brought the dead body to a Jewish physician's house; where she asked the physician's maid to attend a sick boy and gave her a quarter dinar. When the physician's maid went to call the physician, the tailor propped up the dead body on the staircase. The physician was pleased with the quarter dinar handed over by the maid to him went downstairs to see the patient, and stumbled upon the propped up body, and it rolled down. Thinking that the sick boy was dead because of his stumbling on him the physician took him upstairs. His wife advised him to throw it to the compound of bachelor steward. The physician and his wife propped up the dead body at the foot of the wind shaft of the steward's compound. When the steward saw a man reclining on ...

Elizabeth was in high spirits, and she asked Darcy playfully, "I can comprehend your going on charmingly, when you had once made a beginning; but what could set you off in the first place? "I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun." "My beauty you had early withstood, and as for my manners - my behaviour to you  was at least always boardering on the uncivil, and I never spoke to you without rather wishing to give you pain than not. Now be sincere; did you admire me for my impertinence?" "For the liveliness of your mind, I did." "You may as well call it impertinence at once. It was very little less. The fact is, that you were sick of civility, of deference, of officious attention. You were disgusted with the women who were always talking, and looking, and thinking of your approbation alone. I roused and interested you, because...

One hundred and fifth night. Shahriar the king of India Indochina, the queen, and her sister were present. The queen Shahrazad had been telling the stories at the request of her sister Dinarzad, and the king had been getting involved in following the story. The tailor and his wife found a jolly  hunchback with his tambourine. They invited him to their house for merry making and entertainment. While carousing and feasting the hunchack was choked and dead. The tailor and his wife propped up the dead man on the staircase of a Jewish physician. While coming downstairs the physician stumbled upon the dead hunchback propped up on the staircase, and it rolled down. The physician thought that he had stumbled on a sick man, who fell down and dead. He carried the body upstairs. Continue to read: The physician's wife said to him, "Why do you sit still? Rise at once and let us carry the body to the roof and throw it into the house of our neighbour, the Muslim bachelor." The Jew's...

"Dear Lizzy, where can you have been walking to?" asked Jane as soon as she entered the room. As they sat down to the table, others repeated it. She had only to reply that they had wandered about. She coloured as she spoke, but nobody noticed it. The evening passed quietly, without anything to mark. The acknowledged lovers talked and laughed, the  unacknowledged lovers were silent. Darcy was not in a disposition in which happiness overflows in mirth; and Elizabeth agitated and confused, rather knew that she was happy than felt herself to be so; for, besides the immediate embarassment, there were other evils before. She anticipated what would be felt in the family when her situation became known; she was aware that no one liked but Jane; and even feared that with the others it was dislike which not all his fortune and consequence might do away. At night she opened her heart to Jane. Though suspicion was very far from Miss Bennet's general habits, she was absolutely incredu...

One hundred and fourth night of story telling. Shahrazad, the queen of India Indochina, a vast geographical region, where king Shahriar ruled over an empire that stretched from India to Persia and beyond and including parts of Indochina. These places do not have any relation to Modern day places carrying the same name. Queen Shahrazad leave stories incomplete retaining its suspense to crack the brain of the king and thus divert his attention. The tailor carried the hunchback in his arms, covered with a silk shawl, and followed his wife, who led the way, wailing and saying, "O my boy, may you recover from your illness. Where has this smallpox been lying in wait for us?" so that whoever saw them said, "These two have a child stricken with the small pox," until someone directed them to the house of a Jewish physician. When the wife knocked at the door, a maid came down, and when she opened the door, she saw a man carrying a sick child. The wife handed her quarter dinar...

Before many days after the visit of Lady Catherine, Mr Bingley brought his friend Mr Darcy to Longbourn. The gentlemen arrived very early; and before Mrs Bennet had the time to announce the visit of Lady Catherine, Mr Bingley, who wanted to be alone with Jane, suggested that they all go for a walk. Mrs Bennet was not in the habit of walking; Mary could never spare time; but the remaining five set off together. Bingley and Jane, however, allowed the others to outstripp them. They lagged behind, while Elizabeth, Kitty and Darcy were to entertain each other. Very little was said by either; Kitty was too much afraid of him to talk; Elizabeth was secretly forming a resolution; and perhaps he might be doing the same. They walked towards the Lucases, because Kitty wished to call upon Maria; and Elizabeth saw no occasion for making it a general concern, when Kitty left them she went boldly on with him alone. Now was the moment for her resolution to be executed: "Mr Darcy," said she, ...

One hundred and third night. Shahrazad the queen of India and Indochina was present for story telling. The story was told at the request of her sister Dinarzad in the presence of King Shahriar who went berserked at the sight of his previous and principal wife and black slave in compromising posture. The technique of her story telling was to leave the suspense for the following night. When the tailor and his wife saw the hunchback intoxicated and reeking of wine, now singing and now beating tambourine, they were delighted, and invited him home to sup and drink with them that night. He accepted the invitation gladly, and walked home with them. The tailor went to the market, it was already dark. He bought bread, fried fish, radishes, lemons, and a bowl of honey, as well as a candle to give them light during their carousing. When he returned, he set the bread and fish before the hunchback, and the wife joined them for supper. The tailor and his wife were pleased to have the hunchback with ...

Next morning. Elizabeth was going downstairs. Her father was coming out of the library with a letter in his hand, said: "Lizzy, I was going to look for you; come into my room." She followed him into his room; she was curious to know what he had to tell and she connected this to the letter in his hand. It suddenly struck her that it might be from Lady Catherine, and anticipated with dismay, all the consequent explanation. She followed her father into the fireplace, and they both sat down. "I have received a letter this morning," said he. "It has astonished me exceedingly. As it principally concerns yourself, you ought to know its contents. I did not know before, that I had two daughters on the brink of matrimony. Let me congratulate you on a very important conquest." The colour now rushed into her cheeks in the conviction of its being a letter from the nephew, instead of the aunt; she was undetermined whether to be pleased, or to be offended, when her fathe...

One hundred and second night. Shahrazad said: The Story of the Hunchback There lived in China a tailor who had a pretty compatible and loyal wife. One day they went out for a stroll to enjoy sights at a place of entertainment. They spent the whole day in diversions and funs, and when they returned home at the end of the day, they met on the way a jolly hunchback. He was smartly dressed in folded inner robe and an open outer robe with gathered sleeves and embroidered collarband, in the Egyptian style, and sporting a scarf and a tall green hat with notes of yellow silk stuffed in ambergris. The hunchback was short, like him, of poet Antar said: [1] Lovely the hunchback who hides his Hump, like a pearl in an oyster shell A man who looks like a castor oil Branch on which dangles rotten citric lump. He was busy playing on tambourine, singing and improvising all kinds of funny gestures. When they drew near and looked at him, they saw that he was drunk, reeking of wine. He placed his tambouri...

Longbourn. Morning. About a week after Bingley's engagement, he and the females of the family were sitting together in the dining room.  A chaise drawn by four horses were driving up the lawn. It was too early in the morning, and the chaise and horses were not familiar to the place. Neither the carriage nor the livery of servants who preceded it were not familiar to Longbourn family.  Both Mr Bingley and Jane disappeared to the shrubbery around. The door was thrown open and the visitor, Lady Catherine de Bourgh appeared. Mrs Bennet and Kitty were astonished.  The lady entered with an ungracious air; received Elizabeth's salutation with a slight inclination of her head, and sat down without saying a word.  Elizabeth had mentioned her name to her mother on her ladyship's entrance, though no request of introduction had been made. Mrs Bennet, though amazed, was flattered by having a guest of prominence, received her with utmost politeness. After sitting for a moment in s...

The one hundred and first night. Shahrazad began the story originally told by Ja'far, the vizier of Baghdad to its Caliph Harun al Rashid: Badr al-Din was in bed, beside Sit al-Husn, his cousin and wife. He was in Utter confusion: wheather he was dreaming or he was awake. He looked again at Sit al-Husn, the objects around, and the room. Then Shams al-Din, his uncle came. "Aren't you the one who gave orders to beat, tie, and shackle and crucify me?" The vizier replied, "Son, the truth is out, for what was hidden has been revealed. You are my true nephew, and I did all this only to be sure that you are indeed the one who has consummated my daughter that night, ten years ago. You recognised your turban, your clothes, your gold purse as well as the scroll written by my brother and hidden in the lining of your turban. Had the man we brought here were been other than you, he would not have recognised these objects." Then he recited the following verses: Our fate i...

A few days after his visit Mr Bingley called again, and alone.  He remained with them above an hour, and was in good spirits.  Mrs Bennet invited him to dinner, but with many expressions of concern he had to take leave. "Next time you call," said Mrs Bennet, "I hope, we shall be more lucky." He should be particularly happy at any time, and if she would give him leave, would take any early opportunity.  "Can you come tomorrow?" The invitation was accepted with alacrity. He came, and in such a very good time that the ladies were none of them dressed.  In ran Mrs Bennet to her daughter's room, in her dressing gown, and with her hair half finished, crying out:  "My dear Jane, make haste and hurry down.  He is come - Mr Bingley is come.  He is, indeed.  Make haste, make haste.  Here, Sarah, come to Miss Bennet this moment, and help her on with her gown.  Never mind Miss Lizzy's hair." "We will be down as soon as we can," said Jane, ...

One hundredth night. Shahrazad continued the story. The story was originally related by the vizier to his Caliph, Harun al Rashid: Shams al-Din, the vizier of Cairo approached his nephew, Badr al-Din Hasan, took him out of the chest, untied him, taking off all his clothes, save a shirt, led him slowly to the door of the room from which the bride had come out to be unveiled before him, and in which he had slept with her and taken her virginity. When Badr al-Din looked at the room, he recognised it, and when he saw the bed, the net, and the chair, he was amazed and bewildered. Advancing one foot and drawing the other back, he rubbed his eyes and said to himself in his confusion, "Glory be to the Almighty! Am I awake or asleep?" Sit al-Husn lifted the net and said to him, "Ah, my lord, will you not come in? You have stayed too long in the privy; come back to bed!" When Badr al-Din heard her words and saw her face, he smiled in amazement and said, "By God, you are ...

As soon as they were gone, Elizabeth walked out to recover her spirits; and to dwell without interruption on the incidents of immediate past.  Mr Darcy's behaviour astonished and vexed her. "Why if he came only to be silent, grave, and indifferent," thought she, "did he come at all?" She could settle it in no way that gave her pleasure. "He could be still amiable, still pleasing, to my uncle and aunt, when he was in town; and why not to me? If he fears me why come tither?  If he no longer cares for me, why silent? Teasing, teasing man!  I will think no more of him." Her sister, who was cheerful, joined her. "Now," said Jane, that the meeting is over. I feel perfectly easy. I know my own strength, and I shall never be embarassed again by his coming.  I am glad he dines here on Tuesday.  It will then be publicly seen that, on both sides, we meet only as common and indifferent acquaintance." "Yes, very indifferent indeed," said El...

Ninety ninth night.  Shahrazad began to tell the story  It was a story originally told by Ja'far, the vizier, to his Caliph, Harun al Rashid. Badr al-Din said to the Chamberlain and his men, "Because the pomegranate dish lacked pepper you have beaten me, smashed my dishes, and ruined my shop. You have tied me and locked me in this chamber day and night, fed me only one meal a day, and you are going to nail me on a cross. Suppose I had cooked it without pepper what should be my punishment? "To be crucified." The vizier said. "Alas," said Badr al-Din, "only because the dish lacked pepper you are going to crucify me. You have destroyed my shop, tortured me, starved me. All for the lack of pepper in pomegranate-seed dish. May God curse pomegranate-seed dish. I wish that I had died." They brought the nails for crucifixion. Night was falling and it was getting dark. The vizier took Badr al-Din, pushed him into the chest, and locked it. "Wait till t...

Wickham stopped provoking Elizabeth and she was pleased that she had said enough to keep him quiet. The day of departure of Lydia and Wickham. "Oh! My dear Lydia," cried Mrs Bennet, "when shall we meet again?" "Oh, lord! I don't know. Not these two or three years, perhaps. Write to me often, my dear." "As often as I can.  But you know married women have never very much time for writing.  My sisters may write to me.  They will have nothing else to do." Wickham's adieus were much more affectionate than his wife's.  He smiled, looked handsome, and said many pretty things. "He is a fine fellow," said Mr Bennet as soon as they were out of the house, "as ever I saw.  He simpers and smirks and makes love to all of us.  I am prodigiously proud of him.  I defy even Sir William Lucas himself to produce a more valuable son-in-law." The loss of her daughter made Mrs Bennet very dull for several days. "I often think,"...