FAREED
Oh father, father, father, father, father!

FAREED
Girl, father! such a girl! a girl of girls!
Buy me my girl!

ALMUENE
What girl, you leaping madcap?

FAREED
In the slave-market for ten thousand pieces. Such hands! such eyes! such hips! such legs! I am Impatient till my elbows meet around her.

ALMUENE
My amorous wagtail! What, my pretty hunchback, You have your trophies too among the girls
No less than the straight dainty Nureddene,
Our Vizier’s pride? Ay, you have broken seals?
You have picked locks, my burglar?

FAREED
You have given me, You and my mother, such a wicked hump
To walk about with, the girls jeer at me.
I have only a chance with blind ones. ’Tis a shame.

ALMUENE
How will you make your slavegirl love you, hunch?

FAREED
She’ll be my slavegirl and she’ll have to love me.

ALMUENE
Whom would you marry, hunchback, for a wager? Will the King’s daughter tempt you?

FAREED
Pooh! I’ve got My eye upon my uncle’s pretty niece.
I like her.

ALMUENE
The Vizier, my peculiar hatred!
Wagtail, you must not marry there.

FAREED
I hate him too And partly for that cause will marry her,
To beat her twice a day and let him know it. He will be grieved to the heart.

ALMUENE
You’re my own lad.

FAREED
And then she’s such a nice tame pretty thing,
Will sob and tremble, kiss me when she’s told,
Not like my mother, frown, scold, nag all day.
But, dad, my girl! buy me my girl!

ALMUENE
Come, wagtail. Ten thousand pieces! ’tis exorbitant.
Two thousand, not a dirham more.

FAREED
Hooray! hoop! what a time I’ll have! Cafoor!

…………………..
FAREED
You’ll give me money, dad?
ALMUENE
We’ll talk of it another time. Now leave me.
FAREED
You’ll give me money?
ALMUENE
You spend too much.
Go; I’m out of temper.
FAREED
Give money, money, money, give me money.

ALMUENE
You boil, do you too grow upon me? There. (strikes him)

FAREED
You have struck me!

ALMUENE
Why, you would have it. Go.
You shall have money.

FAREED
How much?

ALMUENE
Quite half your asking.
Send me a cup of water.

FAREED
Oh yes, I’ll send it.
You’ll strike me then?

……………….
KHATOON
O imp of Hell! Touch not the water, Vizier.
There’s poison in that cup.

ALMUENE
Unnatural mother, What is this hatred that thou hast, to slander
The issue of thy womb?

FAREED
She hates me, dad. Drink off the cup to show her how you love me.

KHATOON
What, art thou weary of thy life? Give rather The water to a dog, and see.

………………………..
SLAVE
The dog has drunk the water. He is dead.

ALMUENE
Fareed!

FAREED
You’ll strike me, will you? You’ll give half
My askings, no? I wish you’d drunk it off; I’ld have rare spendings!

………………………
ALMUENE
What is this horrible surprise, Beneath whose shock I stagger? Is my term
Exhausted? But I would have done as much,
Had I been struck. It is his gallant spirit,
His lusty blood that will not bear a blow.
I must appease him. If my own blood should end me! He shall have money, all that he can ask.
………………………
KHATOON
Vizier,
Thou slewst Fareed. My gracious, laughing babe