第79章 THE LOVES OF THE BOY AND GIRL AT SCHOOL.

A boy and a girl once learnt together in a schooland the boy fell passionately in love with the girl. Soone daywhen the other boys were heedlesshe took her tablet and wrote on it the following verses：

Tell mewhat sayst thou unto himwhom sickness for thy love Hath worn and wastedtill he's grown distraught and stupefied？

Him who of passion maketh moan；for love and longing painThat which is in his heartindeedno longer can he hide.

When the girl took her tabletshe read the verses and wept for pity of him；then wrote thereunder these others：

An if we see one languishing for very love of usOur favours，surelyunto him shall nowise be denied.

Yeaand of us he shall obtain that which he doth desire Of love-delightwhate'er to us in consequence betide.

Now it chanced that the teacher came in on them And taking the tabletunnoticedread what was written thereon. So he was moved to pity of their case and wrote on the tablet the following versesin reply to those of the girl：

Favour thy loverfor he's grown distracted for desireAnd reck thou not of punishment nor fear lest any chide.

As for the masterhave no dread of his authorityFor he with passion an its pains aforetime hath been tried.

Presentlythe girl's master entered the school and finding the tabletread the above verses and wrote under them the following：

May Allah never separate your loveswhilst time abideAnd may your slanderer be put to shame and mortified！

Butfor the master of the schoolby Allahall my lifeA busier go-between than he I never yet espied.

Then he sent for the Cadi and the witnesses and married them on the spot. Moreoverhe made them a marriage-feast and entreated them with exceeding munificence；and they abode together in joy and contentmenttill there came to them the Destroyer of Delights and the Sunderer of Companies.

EL MUTELEMMIS AND HIS WIFE UMEIMEH.

It is related that El Mutelemmis once fled from En Numan ben Mundhir and was absent so long that the folk deemed him dead. Now he had a handsome wifeUmeimeh by nameand her family pressed her to marry again；but she refusedfor that she loved her husband El Mutelemmis very dearly. Howeverthey were instant with herbecause of the multitude of her suitors，and importuned her till she at last reluctantly consented and they married her to a man of her own tribe.

On the night of the weddingEl Mutelemmis came back and hearing in the camp a noise of pipes and tabrets and seeing signs of festivalasked some of the children what was toward，to which they replied'They have married Umeimehwidow of El Mutelemmisto such an oneand he goes in to her this night.'

When he heard thishe made shift to enter the house with the women and saw there the bride seated on her throne. By and by，the bridegroom came up to herwhereupon she sighed heavily and weepingrecited the following verses：

Ah would（but many are the shifts of good and evil fate）I knew in what far land thou artO Mutelemmis mine！

Now El Mutelemmis was a renowned poet： so he answered her with the following verse：

Right near at handUmeimeh！ Knowwhene'er the caravan Halted，I never ceased for thee with longing heart to pine.

When the bridegroom heard thishe guessed how the case stood and went forth from among them in hasterepeating the following verse：

I was in luckbut now I'm fall'n into the contrary. A hospitable house and room your reknit loves enshrine！

So El Mutelemmis took his wife again and abode with her in all delight and solace of lifetill death parted them. And glory be to Him at whose command the earth and the heavens shall arise！