There was once a man of Khorasan and he had a son, whose moral weal he ardently wished; but the young man sought to be alone and far from the eye of his father, so he might give himself up to pleasuring and pleasance.  Accordingly he sought of his sire leave to make the pilgrimage to the Holy House of Allah and to visit the tomb of the Prophet (whom Allah save and assain!).  Now between them and Meccah was a journey of five hundred parasangs; but his father could not contrary him, for that the Holy Law had made pilgrimage[FN#297] incumbent on him and because of that which he hoped for him of improvement.  So he joined unto him a tutor, in whom he trusted, and gave him much money and took leave of him.  The son set out with his governor on the holy pilgrimage,[FN#298] and abode on the like wise, spending freely and using not thrift.  Also there was in his neighbourhood a poor man, who had a slave-girl of passing beauty and grace, and the youth conceived a desire for her and suffered sore cark and care for the love of her and her loveliness, so that he was like to perish for passion; and she also loved him with a love yet greater than his love for her.  Accordingly, the damsel summoned an old woman who used to visit her and acquainted her with her case, saying, “An I foregather not with him, I shall die.”  The crone promised her that she would do her best to bring her to her desire; so she veiled herself and repairing to the young man, saluted him with the salam and acquainted him with the girl’s case, saying, “Her master is a greedy wight; so do thou invite him and lure him with lucre, and he will sell thee the hand-maiden.”  Accordingly, he made a banquet, and standing in the man’s way, invited him[FN#299] and brought him to his house, where they sat down and ate and drank and abode in talk.  Presently, the young man said to the other, “I hear thou hast with thee a slave-girl, whom thou desirest to sell;” but he said, “By Allah, O my lord, I have no mind to sell her!” Quoth the youth, “I have heard that she cost thee a thousand dinars, and I will give thee six hundred over and above that sum;” and quoth the other, “I sell her to thee at that price.”  So they fetched notaries who wrote out the contract of sale, and the young man weighed to the girl’s master half the purchase money, saying, “Let her be with thee till I complete to thee the rest of the price and take my hand-maid.”  The owner consented to this and took of him a written bond for the rest of the money, and the girl abode with her master, on deposit.[FN#300] As for the youth, he gave his governor a thousand dirhams and sent him to his sire, to fetch money from him, so he might pay the rest of the hand-maid’s price, saying to him, “Be not long away.”  But the tutor said in his mind, “How shall I fare to his father and say to him, ’Thy son hath wasted thy money and made love with it?’[FN#301] With what eye shall I look on him and, indeed, I am he in whom he confided and to whom he hath entrusted his son?