]
The delighted porter took his basket immediately, set it on his head,
and followed the lady, exclaiming, "Oh, happy day! Oh, day of good
luck!"
In a short time the lady stopped before a gate and knocked: a
Christian, with a venerable long white beard, opened it, and she put
money into his hand without speaking; but the Christian, who knew what
she wanted, went in, and shortly after brought out a large jar of
excellent wine.
"Take this jar," said the lady to the porter, "and put it into the
basket."
This being done, she desired him to follow her, and walked on; the
porter still exclaiming, "Oh, day of happiness! Oh, day of agreeable
surprise and joy!"
The lady stopped at a fruit shop, where she bought some apples,
apricots, peaches, lemons, citrons, oranges, myrtles, sweet basil,
lilies, jassamine, and some other plants. She told the porter to put
all those things into his basket and follow her. Passing by a
butcher's shop, she ordered five and twenty pounds of his finest meat
to be weighed, which was also put into the porter's basket.
At another shop she bought capers, small cucumbers, parsley, and other
herbs; at another, some pistachios, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds,
kernels of the pine, and other similar fruits; at a third, she
purchased all sorts of almond patties.
The porter, in putting all these things into his basket, said, "My
good lady, you should have told me that you intended buying so many
things, and I would have provided a camel to carry them, for if you
buy ever so little more, I shall not be able to bear it.
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