A certain singing-girl was fair of favour and bruited of repute,
and it happened one day that she fared forth to a garden
a-pleasuring. As she sat in the summer-house, behold, a man
lopped of the hand stopped to beg of her, and suddenly entered in
at the door. Then he touched her with his stump, saying, "An
alms, for the love of Allah!"[FN#94] but she answered, "Allah
open!" and insulted him. Many days after this, there came to her
a messenger and gave her the hire of her going forth.[FN#95] So
she took with her a hand-maid and an accompanyist;[FN#96] and
when she came to the place appointed, the messenger brought her
into a long passage, at the end whereof was a saloon. "So" (quoth
she) "we entered therein and found nobody, but we saw the room
made ready for an entertainment with candles, dried fruits and
wine, and in another place we saw food and in a third beds.
Thereupon we sat down and I looked at him who had opened the door
to us, and behold he was lopped of the hand. I misliked this, and
when I sat a little longer, there entered a man, who filled the
candelabra in the saloon and lit the waxen candles; and behold,
he also was handlopped. Then flocked the folk and there entered
none except he were lopped of the hand, and indeed the house was
full of these companions.[FN#97] When the session was complete,
the host came in and the company rose to him and seated him in
the place of honour. Now he was none other than the man who had
fetched me, and he was clad in sumptuous clothes, but his hands
were in his sleeves, so that I knew not how it was with them.
They brought him food and he ate, he and the company; after which
they washed hands and the host began casting at me furtive
glances. Then they drank till they were drunken, and when they
had taken leave of their wits, the host turned to me and said,