When he hath done this, give him ten dinars.' 'I hear and obey,' answered I and taking with me two pieces[FN#355] of Greek brocade, went to the tailor and bade him make of them four suits, two with long-sleeved coats and two without. When he had finished cutting them out and sewing them, I gave him to his hire much more than of wont, and he put out his hand to me with the clothes; but I said, 'Take them for thyself and for those who are with thee.' And I fell to sitting with him and sitting long: I also bespoke of him other clothes and said to him, 'Hang them out in front of thy shop, so the folk may see them and buy them.' He did as I bade him, and whoso came forth of the Caliph's palace and aught of the clothes pleased him, I made him a present thereof, even to the doorkeeper. One day of the days the tailor said to me, 'O my son, I would have thee tell me the truth of thy case; for thou hast bespoken of me an hundred costly suits, each worth a mint of money, and hast given the most of them to the folk. This is no merchant's fashion, for a merchant calleth an account for every dirham, and what can be the sum of thy capital that thou givest these gifts and what thy gain every year? Tell me the truth of thy case, that I may assist thee to thy desire;' presently adding, 'I conjure thee by Allah, tell me, art thou not in love?' 'Yes,' replied I; and he said, 'With whom?' Quoth I, 'With one of the handmaids of the Caliph's palace;' and quoth he, 'Allah put them to shame! How long shall they seduce the folk? Knowest thou her name?' Said I, 'No;' and said he, 'Describe her to me.' So I described her to him and he cried, 'Out on it! This is the lutanist of the Caliph Al-Mutawakkil and his pet concubine. But she hath a Mameluke[FN#356] and do thou make friends with him; it may be he shall become the means of thy having access to her.' Now as we were talking, behold, out walked the servant in question from the palace, as he were a moon on the fourteenth night; and, seeing that I had before me the clothes which the tailor had made me, and they were of brocade of all colours, he began to look at them and examine them. Then he came up to me and I rose and saluted him. He asked, 'Who art thou?' and I answered, 'I am a man of the merchants.' Quoth he, 'Wilt thou sell these clothes?'; and quoth I, 'Yes.' So he chose out five of them and said to me, 'How much these five?' Said I, 'They are a present to thee from me in earnest of friendship between me and thee.' At this he rejoiced and I went home and fetching a suit embroidered with jewels and jacinths, worth three thousand dinars, returned therewith and gave it to him. He accepted it and carrying me into a room within the palace, said to me, 'What is thy name among the merchants?' Said I, 'I am a man of them.'[FN#357] He continued, 'Verily I misdoubt me of thine affair.' I asked, 'Why so?' and he answered, 'Because thou hast bestowed on me a costly gift and won my heart therewith, and I make