Next morning Dinarzade being awaked by her impatience to hear the
rest of the story, said to the sultaness: For the sake of heaven,
sister, if you be not asleep, give us an account of what the ladies
did with the provisions brought by Amine. You shall quickly hear it,
said Scheherazade, if you listen to my story, which she resumed as
follows:
The porter, very well satisfied with the money he had received, was
to have taken up his basket, and be gone; but he could not tell how
to think on it. Do what he could, he found himself stopped by the
pleasure of seeing three such beauties, who appeared to him equally
charming; for Amine having now laid aside her veil, was as handsome
as either of them. What surprised him most was, that he saw no man
about the house, yet most of the provisions he brought in, as the
dry fruits, and the several sorts of cakes and confections, were fit
chiefly for those who could drink and make merry.
Zobeide thought at first, that the porter staid only to take breath;
but perceiving that he staid too long, What do you wait for? said
she: are you not well enough paid? And turning to Amine, said,
Sister, give him something more, that he may depart satisfied.
Madam, replied the porter, it is not that which keeps me, I am over
and above paid; I am sensible that I am unmannerly to stay longer
than I ought, but I hope you will be so good as to pardon me, if I
tell you, that I am astonished to see that there is no man with
three ladies of such extraordinary beauty; and you know that a
company of women without men is as melancholy a thing as a company
of men without women. To this he added several other pleasant
things, to prove what he said, and did not forget the Bagdad
proverb, That the table is not completely furnished, except there be
four in company: and so concluded that since they were but three,
they wanted a fourth.
The ladies fell a laughing at the porter’s discourse; after which,
Zobeide said to him very gravely, Friend, you are a little too bold;
and though you do not deserve that I should enter into particulars
with you, yet I am willing to tell you, that we are three sisters,
who do our business so secretly, that no body knows any thing of it.
We have too great reason to be cautious of acquainting indiscreet
persons with it; and a good author that we have read, says, “Keep
your secret and do not reveal it to any body. He that reveals it is
no longer master of it. If your own breast cannot keep your secret,
how do you think that another person will keep it?”
My ladies, replied the porter, by your very air, I judged at first
that you were persons of extraordinary merit, and I conceive that I
am not mistaken; though fortune has not given me wealth enough to
raise me above my mean profession, yet I have not failed to
cultivate my mind as much as I could, by reading books of science
and history: and allow me, if you please, to tell you, that I have
also read in another author a maxim which I have always happily
practised: “We do not conceal our secrets,” says he, “but from
such persons as are known to all the world to want discretion, and
would abuse the confidence we put in them; but we make no scruple to
discover them to prudent persons, because we know they can keep
them.” A secret with me is as sure as if it were in a closet,
whose key is lost, and the door sealed up.
Zobeide perceiving that the porter did not want sense, but
conceiving he had a mind to share in their treat, she replied to
him, smiling, You know that we are about to have a treat, and you
know also that we have been at a considerable expense, and it is not
just that you should have a share of it, without contributing
towards it. The beautiful Safie seconded her sister, and said to the
porter, Friend, have you never heard that which is commonly said,
“If you bring any thing with you, you shall be welcome; but if you
bring nothing, you must get you gone with nothing?”
The porter, notwithstanding his rhetoric, must in all probability
have retired in confusion, if Amine had not taken his part, and said
to Zobeide and Safie, My dearest sisters, I conjure you to let him
stay with us; I need not tell you that he will divert us, you see
well enough that he is capable of that; I must needs tell you, that
unless he had been very willing, as well as nimble, and hardy enough
to follow me, I could not have done so much business in so little
time: besides, should I repeat to you all the obliging expressions
he used to me by the way, you would not be surprised at my
protecting him.
At these words of Amine, the porter was so much transported with
joy, that he fell on his knees, kissed the ground at the feet of
that charming person, and raising himself up, said, Most beautiful
lady, you began my good fortune to-day, and now you complete it by
this generous action; I cannot enough testify my acknowledgment for
it. As to what remains, my ladies, said he, addressing himself to
all three sisters, since you do me so great honour, do not think
that I will abuse it, or look upon myself as a person that deserves
it. No, I shall always look upon myself as one of your most humble
slaves. When he had spoken these words, he would have returned the
money he had received, but the grave Zobeide ordered him to keep it.
That which we have once given, said she, to reward those who have
served us, we never take again. --Here day began to dawn, which put
Scheherazade to silence.
Dinarzade, who listened with a great deal of attention, was much
troubled at it, but had this comfort, however, that the sultan, who
was as curious as she to know what passed betwixt the three
beautiful ladies and the porter, ordered the sultaness to go on with
the rest of the story next night, and rose up to go about his
business.