Thousand & One Nights: 113th Night

The Young Man with Severed hand and the Girl - 4

The brokers said to the young merchant, "We can tell you how you can make a profit without risk. You should do what the other merchants do and sell your goods on credit for a fixed period, on a contract drawn by the scribe and duly witnessed, employ a money changer, and collect your money, every Monday and Thursday. In this way you will make a profit, while you spend your own time enjoying the sights of Cairo and the Nile." This was found suitable by the young man. So he took the porters and brokers to the Caravanserai and handed over the bales of fabric to them, made a duly witnessed contract, and left it with the banker. 

The young man continued to stay at the Caravanserai. He used to go to the market every Monday and Thursday, and sit in the shop of one or other of the merchants, while the scribe and the money changer went round to collect the money. By afternoon the scribe and money changer would bring the money and the young man would collect it and issue receipts, and return to Caravanserai. 
 
In this way his routine moved for one week. On the next Monday, he went early to bath, put on new clothes, had a cup of wine, and went to sleep. After sleep, he went to the shop of a merchant called Badr al-Din al-Bastani. The merchant and the young man sat chatting for a while, when a lady, wearing a clock and a magnificent headcloth, came to the shop. She was a beauty who captured the attention of the young man. She saluted Badr al-Din, raising her upper veil, revealing a pair of large black eyes. He welcomed her and stood talking with her. When the young man heard her talk, his heart bloomed with love followed by a sense of foreboding. "Do you have a piece of silk fabric with hunting scenes," asked she, to Badr al-Din. He showed her a piece available in his stock, furnished by the young man. She bought it for one thousand two hundred dirhams. Then she said to Badr al-Din, "With your permission, I will take it with me and send you money next market day."
"This is not possible, my lady, for this gentleman is the owner of the piece, and I have to pay him for it today."
She said, "Shame on you, haven't I been buying much from you at whatever profit you wished, taking the fabric from you and sending you the money afterwards?"
"Yes, indeed, but this time, I need the money today," said Badr al-Din. She threw the piece of fabric back into the shop angrily, and said, "You merchants don't respect anyone. May God blight you all."

The day broke. Shahrazad finished part four of the story.

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