Then they rose forthright and shutting up their shops，took Nur al-Din and fared with the Frank，who brought them to a goodly and spacious saloon，wherein were two daises.Here he made them sit and set before them a scarlet tray-cloth of goodly workmanship and unique handiwork，wroughten in gold with figures of breaker and broken，lover and beloved，asker and asked，whereon he ranged precious vessels of porcelain and crystal，full of the costliest confections，fruits and flowers，and brought them a flagon of old Greek wine.Then he bade slaughter a fat lamb and kindling fire；proceeded to roast of its flesh and feed the merchants therewith and give them draughts of that wine，winking at them the while to ply Nur al-Din with drink.Accordingly they ceased not plying him with wine till he became drunken and took leave of his wits；so when the Frank saw that he was drowned in liquor，he said to him；'O my lord Nur al-Din，thou gladdenest us with thy company to-night： welcome，and again welcome to thee.'Then he engaged him awhile in talk，till he could draw near to him，when he said；with dissembling speech，'O my lord，Nur al-Din，wilt thou sell me thy slave-girl，whom thou boughtest in presence of these merchants a year ago for a thousand dinars？ I will give thee at this moment five thousand gold pieces for her and thou wilt thus make four thousand ducats profit.'Nur al-Din refused，but the Frank ceased not to ply him with meat and drink and lure him with lucre，still adding to his offers，till he bid him ten thousand dinars for her；whereupon Nur al-Din，in his drunkenness，said before the merchants，'I sell her to thee for ten thousand dinars： hand over the money.'At this the Frank rejoiced with joy exceeding and took the merchants to witness the sale.They passed the night in eating and drinking，mirth and merriment，till the morning，when the Frank cried out to his pages，saying，'Bring me the money.'So they brought it to him and he counted out ten thousand dinars to Nur al-Din，saying，'O my lord，take the price of thy slave-girl，whom thou soldest to me last night，in the presence of these Moslem merchants.'Replied Nur al-Din，'O accursed，I sold thee nothing and thou liest anent me，for I have no slave-girls.'Quoth the Frank，'In very sooth thou didst sell her to me and these merchants were witnesses to the bargain.'
Thereupon all said，'Yes，indeed！ thou soldest him thy slave-girl before us for ten thousand dinars，O Nur al-Din and we will all bear witness against thee of the sale.Come，take the money and deliver him the girl，and Allah will give thee a better than she in her stead.Doth it irk thee，O Nur al-Din，that thou boughtest the girl for a thousand dinars and hast enjoyed for a year and a half her beauty and loveliness and taken thy fill of her converse and her favours？ Furthermore thou hast gained some ten thousand golden dinars by the sale of the zones which she made thee every day and thou soldest for twenty sequins，and after all this thou hast sold her again at a profit of nine thousand dinars over and above her original price.And withal thou deniest the sale and belittlest and makest difficulties about the profit！ What gain is greater than this gain and what profit wouldst thou have profitabler than this profit？ An thou love her thou hast had thy fill of her all this time： so take the money and buy thee another handsomer than she；at a dowry of less than half this price，and the rest of the money will remain in thy hand as capital.'And the merchants ceased not to ply him with persuasion and special arguments till he took the ten thousand dinars，the price of the damsel，and the Frank straightway fetched Kazis and witnesses；who drew up the contract of sale by Nur al-Din of the handmaid hight Miriam the Girdle-girl.Such was his case；but as regards the damsel's，she sat awaiting her lord from morning till sundown and from sundown till the noon of night；and when he returned not，she was troubled and wept with sore weeping.The old druggist heard her sobbing and sent his wife，who went in to her and finding her in tears，said to her，'O my lady，what aileth her and finding her in tears，said to her，'O my lady，what aileth thee to weep？'Said she，'O my mother，I have sat waiting the return of my lord，Nur al-Din all day；but he cometh not，and I fear lest some one have played a trick on him，to make him sell me，and he have fallen into the snare and sold me.'--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Eight Hundred and Seventy-eighth Night； She resumed，It hath reached me，O auspicious King，that Miriam the Girdle-girl said to the druggist's wife，'I am fearful lest some one have been playing a trick on my lord to make him sell me，and he have fallen into the snare and sold me.'Said the other，'O my lady Miriam，were they to give thy lord this hall full of gold as thy price，yet would he not sell thee，for what I know of his love to thee.
