صفحة 642 من 1116

Then, by doom of Destiny, Badr al-Din Hasan turned over and

awoke; and, finding himself in a lighted vestibule, said to

himself, "Surely I am in the mazes of some dream." So he rose and

went on a little to an inner door and looked in and lo! he was in

the very chamber wherein the bride had been displayed to him; and

there he saw the bridal alcove and the settle and his turband and

all his clothes. When he saw this he was confounded and kept

advancing with one foot, and retiring with the other, saying, "Am

I sleeping or waking?" And he began rubbing his forehead and

saying (for indeed he was thoroughly astounded), "By Allah,

verily this is the chamber of the bride who was displayed before

me! Where am I then? I was surely but now in a box!" Whilst he

was talking with himself, Sitt al-Husn suddenly lifted the corner

of the chamber-curtain and said, "O my lord, wilt thou not come

in?