an
again to eat and drink, to sing, and repeat verses. The ladies
diverted themselves by intoxicating the porter, under pretext of
making him drink their healths, and the repast was enlivened by
reciprocal sallies of wit. When they were all as merry as possible,
they suddenly heard a knocking at the gate.

[Illustration: _He was chained to the spot by the pleasure of
beholding three such beauties Page 38_]

Safie, whose office it was, went to the porch, and quickly returning,
told them thus: "There are three calenders[10] at the door, all blind
of the right eye, and have their heads, beards, and eyebrows shaved.
They say that they are only just arrived at Bagdad, where they have
never been before; and, as it is dark, and they know not where to
lodge, they knocked at our door by chance and pray us to show
compassion, and to take them in. They care not where we put them,
provided they obtain shelter. They are young and handsome; but I
cannot, without laughing, think of their amusing and exact likeness to
each other. My dear sisters, pray permit them to come in; they will
afford us diversion enough, and put us to little charge, because they
desire shelter only for this night, and resolve to leave us as soon as
day appears."

[Footnote 10: Calender, a sort of privileged beggar or fakir among the
Mohammedans, who wore a dress of sheepskin, with a leathern girdle
about his loins, and collected alms. A dervish is a poor man, who is
not bound by any vow of poverty to abstain from meat, and may
relinquish his profession at will.]

"Go, then," said Zobeide, "and bring them in, but make them read what
is written over the gate." Safie ran out with joy, and in a little
time after returned with the three calenders.

At their entrance they made a profound obeisance to the ladies, who
rose up to receive them and told them courteously that they were
welcome, that they were glad of the opportunity to oblige them and to
contribute toward relieving the fatigues of their journey, and at last
invited them to sit down with them.

The magnificence of the place, and the civility they received,
inspired the calenders with high respect for the ladies; but before
they sat down, having by chance cast their eyes upon the porter, whom
they saw clad almost like those devotees with whom they have continual
disputes respecting several points of discipline, because they never
shave their beards nor eyebrows,[11] one of them said, "I believe we
h