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price, for it is worth five hundred dinars.’ But fire flamed in his heart and his hands were tied from working at his craft.
Kemerezzeman continued to talk with him, whilst he was drowned in the sea of solicitudes, and for fifty words wherewith the youth bespoke him, he answered him but one; for his heart was in torment and his body racked and his mind troubled and he was even as saith the poet:
I cannot speak, what time to talk with me folk have a mind, And if they speak to me, my thought they absent from me find.
Drowned in the sea of care, that hath no bottom, ’twixt the folk I can’t distinguish, no, nor man can tell from womankind.
When Kemerezzeman saw him thus discomfited, he said to him, ‘Belike thou art busy at this present,’ and leaving him, returned to his own house, where he found Helimeh standing at the door of the underground passage, awaiting him. Quoth she, ‘Hast thou done as I bade thee?’ And he said, ‘Yes.’ ‘What said he to thee?’ asked she, and he answered, ‘He told me that the knife was cheap at that price, for that it was worth five hundred dinars: but I could see that he was troubled; so I left him and know not what befell him after that.’ ‘Give me the knife,’ said she, ‘and reck thou not of him.’ Then she took the knife and restoring it to its place, sat down.
Meanwhile, fire flamed in the jeweller’s heart and disquietude was sore upon him and he said in himself, ‘Needs must I go and look for the knife and do away doubt with certainty.’ So he repaired to his house and went in to his wife, snorting like a dragon; and she said to him, ‘What ails thee, O my lord?’ ‘Where is my knife?’ asked he. ‘In the chest,’ answered she and smote upon her breast, saying, ‘Woe is me! Belike thou hast fallen out with some one and art come to fetch the knife to smite him withal.’ ‘Give me the knife,’ said he. ‘Let
