means of thy coming to enjoy her!" Then she left him nor ceased
walking till she stood before her mistress weeping with sore
weeping, and said, "O my lady, indeed he is a man of great
consideration, and good repute among the folk." Quoth Zayn
al-Mawasif, "There is no device against the destiny of Almighty
Allah! Verily, this man found not in me a pitiful heart, for that
I despoiled him of his substance and he got of me neither
affection nor complaisance in granting him amorous joy; but, if I
incline to his inclination, I fear lest the thing be bruited
abroad." Quoth Hubub, "O my lady, verily, grievous upon us is his
present plight and the loss of his good and thou hast with thee
none save thyself and thy slave-girl Sukub; so which of us two
would dare prate of thee, and we thy handmaids?" With this, she
bowed her head for a while ground-wards and the damsels said to
her, "O my lady, it is our rede that thou send after him and show
him grace and suffer him not ask of the sordid; for how bitter is
such begging!" So she accepted their counsel and calling for
inkcase and paper, wrote him these couplets,

"Joy is nigh, O Masr£r, so rejoice in true rede; * Whenas night
shall fall thou shalt do kind-deed:
Crave not of the sordid a loan, fair youth, * Wine stole my wits
but they now take heed:
All thy good I reft shall return to thee, * O Masr£r, and I'll
add to them amorous meed;
For indeed th' art patient, and sweet of soul * When wronged by
thy lover's tyrannic greed.
So haste to enjoy us and luck to thee! * Lest my folk come
between us speed, love, all speed!
Hurry uswards thou, nor delay, and while * My mate is far, on