13- The Envious Man - Page 2

convent; for they
received and supported him, and carried him to the bottom, so
that he got no hurt. He perceived that there was something
extraordinary in his fall, which must otherwise have cost him his
life; but he neither saw nor felt anything. He soon heard a
voice, however, which said, "Do you know what honest man this is,
to whom we have done this piece of service?" Another voice
answered, "No." To which the first replied, "Then I will tell
you. This man out of charity, the purest ever known, left the
town he lived in, and has established himself in this place, in
hopes to cure one of his neighbours of the envy he had conceived
against him; he had acquired such a general esteem, that the
envious man, not able to endure it, came hither on purpose to
ruin him; and he would have accomplished his design, had it not
been for the assistance we have given this honest man, whose
reputation is so great, that the sultan, who keeps his residence
in the neighbouring city, was to pay him a visit to-morrow, to
recommend the princess his daughter to his prayers."

Another voice asked, "What need had the princess of the dervise's
prayers?" To which the first answered, "You do not know, it
seems, that she is possessed by genie Maimoun, the son of Dimdim,
who is fallen in love with her. But I well know how this good
head of the dervises may cure her; the thing is very easy, and I
will explain it to you. He has a black cat in his convent, with a
white spot at the end of her tail, about the bigness of a small
piece of Arabian money; let him only pull seven hairs out of the
white spot, burn them, and smoke the princess's head with the
fume, she will not only be immediately cured, but be so safely
delivered from Maimoun, the son of Dimdim, that he will never
dare to approach her again."

The head of the dervises remembered every word of the
conversation between the fairies and the genies, who remained
silent the remainder of the night. The next morning, as soon as
daylight appeared, and he could discern the nature of his
situation, the well being broken down in several places, he saw a
hole, by which he crept out with ease.

The other dervises, who had been seeking for him, were rejoiced
to see him; he gave them a brief account of the wickedness of the
man to whom he had given so kind a reception the day before, and
retired into his cell. Shortly after the black cat, which the
fairies and the genies had mentioned the night before, came to
fawn upon her master, as she was accustomed to do; he took her
up, and pulled seven hairs from the white spot that was upon her
tail, and laid them aside for his use when occasion should serve.

Soon