It is impossible to tell the joy of the Rajah at finding his long-lost
wife, but it was not greater than Surya Bai's at being restored to her
husband.
Then the Rajah turned to the old Milkwoman, and said "Old woman, you
did not tell me true, for it was indeed my wife who was in your hut."
"Yes, Protector of the Poor," answered the old Milkwoman, "but it was
also my daughter." Then they told him how Surya Bai was the
Milkwoman's child.
At hearing this the Rajah commanded them all to return with him to the
palace. He gave Surya Bai's father a village and, ennobled the family;
and he said to Surya Bai's old attendant, "For the good service you
have done you shall be palace housekeeper," and he gave her great
riches; adding, "I can never repay the debt I owe you, nor make you
sufficient recompense for having caused you to be unjustly cast into
prison." But she replied, "Sire, even in your anger you were
temperate; if you had caused me to be put to death, as some would have
done, none of this good might have come upon you; it is yourself you
have to thank."
The wicked first Ranee was cast, for the rest of her life, into the
prison in which the old attendant had been thrown; but Surya Bai lived
happily with her husband the rest of her days; and in memory of her
adventures, he planted round their palace a hedge of sunflowers and a
grove of mango trees.
_The Storks and the Night Owl_
Chasid, Caliph of Bagdad, which, by the way, is on the river Tigris,
and was long, long ago the capital of the ancient Saracen Empire, was
comfortably seated upon his sofa one beautiful afternoon. He had slept
a little, for it was a very hot day, and he seemed cheerful after his
nap.
He smoked from a long pipe made of rosewood; sipped now and then a
little coffee, which a slave poured out for him, and stroked his beard
very contentedly. So it was very plain that the Caliph was in a good
humour. This was generally the case at this hour, as it was the custom
of his Grand Vizier Manzor to visit him every day about this time. He
came this afternoon, but he seemed very thoughtful. The Caliph looked
at him, and said: "Grand Vizier, why is thy countenance so sad?"
The Grand Vizier crossed his arms over his breast, bowed himself
before his lord, and said: "My lord, I am sad because in the court
below there is a merchant who has such fine wares that I am troubled
because I have so little money to spare to purchase them."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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