 shall eat his
portion.” Then he brought him into a saloon, where he left him with
Kamar al-Zaman, after he had said privily to the lad, “O my son, sit
thou beside the Dervish when I am gone out and sport with him and
provoke him to love-liesse and if he seek of thee lewdness, I who will
be watching you from the window overlooking the saloon will come down to
him and kill him.” So, as soon as Kamar al-Zaman was alone in the room
with the Dervish, he sat down by his side and the old man began to look
upon him and sigh and weep. Whenever the lad bespake him, he answered
him kindly, trembling the while and would turn to him groaning and
crying, and thus he did till supper was brought in, when he fell to
eating, with his eyes on the boy but refrained not from shedding tears.
When a fourth part of the night was past and talk was ended and
sleep-tide came, Abd al-Rahman said to the lad, “O my son, apply thyself
to the service of thine uncle the Dervish and gainsay him not:” and
would have gone out; but the Dervish cried to him, “O my lord, carry thy
son with thee or sleep with us.” Answered the merchant, “Nay, my son
shall lie with thee: haply thy soul may desire somewhat, and he will
look to thy want and wait upon thee.” Then he went out leaving them both
together, and sat down in an adjoining room which had a window giving
upon the saloon. Such was the case with the merchant; but as to the lad,
as soon as his sire had left them, he came up to the Dervish and began
to provoke him and offer himself to him, whereupon he waxed wroth and
said, “What talk is this, O my son? I take refuge with Allah from Satan
the Stoned! O my Lord, indeed this is a denial of Thee which pleaseth
Thee not! Avaunt from me, O my son!” So saying, the Dervish arose and
sat down at a distance; but the boy followed him and threw himself upon
him, saying, “Why, O Dervish, wilt thou deny thyself the joys of my
possession, and I with a heart that loveth thee?” Hereupon the Dervish’s
anger redoubled and he said, “An thou 