She came to tell me herself only a couple of hours ago , ' replied Subida , ` and as he had spent all their money , I gave her something to bury him with . ' ` You must be dreaming , ' exclaimed the Sultan . ` Soon after midday Abu Nowas came into the hall , his eyes streaming with tears , and when I asked him the reason he answered that his wife was dead , and they had sold everything they had , and he had nothing left , not so much as would buy her a shroud , far less for her burial . ' For a long time they talked , and neither would listen to the other , till the Sultan sent for the door-keeper and bade him go instantly to the house of Abu Nowas and see if it was the man or his wife who was dead . But Abu Nowas happened to be sitting with his wife behind the latticed window , which looked on the street , and he saw the man coming , and sprang up at once . ` There is the Sultan 's door-keeper ! They have sent him here to find out the truth . Quick ! throw yourself on the bed and pretend that you are dead . ' And in a moment the wife was stretched out stiffly , with a linen sheet spread across her , like a corpse . She was only just in time , for the sheet was hardly drawn across her when the door opened and the porter came in . ` Has anything happened ? ' asked he . ` My poor wife is dead , ' replied Abu Nowas . ` Look ! she is laid out here . ' And the porter approached the bed , which was in a corner of the room , and saw the stiff form lying underneath . ` We must all die , ' said he , and went back to the Sultan . ` Well , have you found out which of them is dead ? ' asked the Sultan .
` Yes , noble XXXXX ; it is the wife , ' replied the porter .
Nowas Subida Sultan door-keeper house left moment room sheet shroud