u who art to blame for all this, for that thou knewest this evil
inclination to be in her and toldest me not.[470]” Then he seized upon
her and strangled her. All this happened while Abd al-Rahman stood,
brand in hand, behind the door espying with his eyes and hearing with
his ears. Now when Obayd the jeweller had done this, apprehension came
upon him and he feared the issue of his affair and said to himself, “As
soon as the merchant learneth that I have killed them in his house, he
will surely slay me; yet I beseech Allah that He appoint the taking of
my life to be while I am in the True Belief!” And he abode bewildered
about his case and knew not what to do; but, as he was thus behold, in
came Abd al-Rahman from his lurking-place without the door and said to
him, “No harm shall befal thee, for indeed thou deservest safety. See
this sword in my hand. ’Twas in my mind to slay thee, hadst thou made
peace with her and restored her to favour, and I would also have slain
her and the maid. But since thou hast done this deed, welcome to thee
and again welcome! And I will reward thee by marrying thee to my
daughter, Kamar al-Zaman’s sister.” Then he carried him down and sent
for the woman who washed the dead: whereupon it was bruited abroad that
Kamar al-Zaman had brought with him two slave-girls from Bassorah and
that both had deceased. So the people began to condole with him saying,
“May thy head live!” and “May Allah compensate thee!” And they washed
and shrouded them and buried them, and none knew the truth of the
matter. Then Abd al-Rahman sent for the Shaykh al-Islam and all the
notables and said, “O Shaykh, draw up the contract of marriage between
my daughter Kaukab al-Saláh[471] and Master Obayd the jeweller and set
down that her dowry hath been paid to me in full.” So he wrote out the
contract and Abd al-Rahman gave the company to drink of sherbets, and
they made one wedding festival for the two brides the daughter of the
Shaykh al-Islam and Kamar al-Zaman’s sister; and paraded them