'For God's sake，'said we'tell us the reason of thy refusal to eat of the ragout！'If I must eat of it，'replied he'I will not do soexcept I may wash my hands forty times with soap，forty times with potash and forty times with galingalein all a hundred and twenty times.'So the master of the house ordered his servants to bring water and all that he required；and the young man washed his hands as he had said. Then he sat downas if afraidand dipping his hand into the ragoutbegan to eat，though with evident repugnance and as if doing himself violence，whilst we regarded him with the utmost wonder；for his hand trembled and we saw that his thumb had been cut off and he ate with his four fingers only. So we said to him'God on theewhat has become of thy thumb？ Is thy hand thus by the creation of God or has it been mutilated by accident？'O my brothersanswered he'it is not this thumb alone that has been cut offbut also that of the other hand and the great toe of each of my feetas ye shall see.'Then he bared his left hand and his feetand we saw that the left hand was even as the right and that each of his feet lacked the great toe. At this sightour amazement increased and we said to him'We are impatient to know thy history and the manner of the cutting off of thy thumbs and great toes and the reason of thy washing thy hands a hundred and twenty times.'
'Know then，'answered he'that my father was chief of the merchants of Baghdad in the time of the Khalif Haroun er Reshid；
but he was given to drinking wine and listening to the lute and other instrumentsso that when he diedhe left nothing. I buried him and had recitations of the Koran made over him and mourned for him days and nights. Then I opened his shop and found he had left little but debts. HoweverI compounded with his creditors for time to pay and betook myself to buying and sellingpaying them something week by week on accounttill at last I succeeded in clearing off the debts and began to add to my capital. One dayas I sat in my shopthere came up to the entrance of the bazaar a ladythan whom my eyes never saw a fairerrichly clad and decked and riding on a mulewith one slave walking before and another behind her. She halted the mule at the entrance of the bazaar and enteredfollowed by an eunuch，who said to her'O my ladycome outwithout telling any one，or thou wilt bring us into trouble.'And he stood before herwhilst she looked at the shops. She found no shop open but mineso came upwith the eunuch behind herand sitting down in my shopsaluted me；never did I hear aught sweeter than her voice or more pleasant than her speech. Then she unveiled her face and I saw she was like the moon and stole at her a glance that cost me a thousand sighs. My heart was captivated with her love and I could not take my eyes off her face；and I repeated the following verses：
Say to the fairest fairher in the dove-coloured veil'Death would be welcome to meto save me from thy bale：
Grant me thy favoursI pray！so I may live perchance. Lo！I stretch forth my palm：let not thy bounties fail.'
When she heard thisshe answered me by repeating the following verses：
Power to forget theefor desirefails even unto me：My heart and all my soul will love none other after thee.
If my eyes ever look on aught except thy lovelinessMay union after severance ne'er brighten them with glee！
I've sworn an oath by my right hand ne'er to forget thy grace. My sad heart pineth for thy love and never may win free.
Passion hath given me to drink a brimming cup of love；Would it had given the self-same draught to drinkdear heartto thee！
If thou shouldst ask me what I'd crave most earnestly of God，'The Almighty's favour firstthen thine，'I'd say'my prayer shall be.'
Then she said to me'O youthhast thou any handsome stuffs？'O my lady，'answered I'thy slave is poor：but wait till the merchants open their shopsand I will get thee what thou wilt.'
Then we sat talkingshe and Iwhilst I was drowned in the sea of her love and dazed with passion for hertill the merchants opened their shopswhen I rose and fetched her all she sought，to the value of five thousand dirhems. She gave the stuffs to the slave and leaving the bazaarmounted the mule and rode away，without telling me whence she cameand I was ashamed to ask her.
So I became answerable to the merchants for the price of the goods and thus took on myself a debt of five thousand dirhems.
