And through the thin iron shutters which covered the window the
Berber-Bashi curiously observed the touching scene!
They were still in the midst of their intoxication of delight when the
frequently before-mentioned neighbour of Halil, worthy Musli, thrust his
head inside the door, and witnessing the scene would discreetly have
withdrawn his perplexed countenance. But Halil, who had already caught
sight of him, bawled him a vociferous welcome.
"Nay, come along! come along! my worthy neighbour, don't stand on any
ceremony with us, you can see for yourself how merry we are!"
The worthy neighbour thereupon gingerly entered, on the tips of his
toes, with his hands fumbling nervously about in the breast of his
kaftan; for the poor fellow's hands were resinous to a degree. Wash and
scrub them as he might, the resin would persist in cleaving to them. His
awl, too, was still sticking in the folds of his turban--sticking forth
aloft right gallantly like some heron's plume. Naturally he whose
business it was to mend other men's shoes went about in slippers that
were mere bundles of rags--that is always the way with cobblers!
When he saw Guel-Bejaze on Halil's lap, and Halil's face beaming all over
with joy, he smote his hands together and fell a-wondering.
"There must be some great changes going on here!" thought he.
But Halil compelled him to sit down beside them, and after kissing
Guel-Bejaze again--apparently he could not kiss the girl enough--he
cried:
"Look! my dear neighbour! she is now my wife, and henceforth she will
love me as her husband, and I shall no longer be the slave of my slave.
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