The Caliph submitted to his mother’s reason and sends his prime vizier named Morakanabad. 543Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIW4f2kxNy0
“Let the common criers proclaim not only in Samarah but throughout every city in my empire that whosoever will repair hither and decipher certain characters which appear to be inexplicable, shall experience the liberality for which I am renowned. All who fail upon trial shall have their beards burnt off to the last hair. I will also bestow fifty beautiful slaves and as many jars of apricots from the isle of Kirmith upon any man that shall bring me knowledge of the stranger,” Morakanabad announced.
The Caliph’s subjects like their Sovereign, being great admirers of women and apricots from Kirmith, felt their mouths water at these promises but were unable to gratify their hankering for no one knew which way the stranger had gone. 543Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHPlx3oiH6A
“These people really are disgusting towards women. As if they are objects for their disgusting lust. Eww...I would prefer apricots than satisfying disgusting lust like that,” Alice said. 543Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyur89yl8rl
Alice notices her stomach grumbles and she brought Vine far from the crowd. 543Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4ksTWNwRa
“Lucky that I brought some fruits for us,” she said. 543Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLl2AnKcGrj
“What fruit?” Vine wondered. 543Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡizy5MwJnRs
“It’s my favorite fruit, pear,” Alice answered Vine. 543Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtOOsnVboO6
Alice and Vine enjoy their fruit while watching Vathek execute his punishment by burning the beard of every subject who fails the trial of deciphering the inscription of the sword. Everyone starting from the scholar, the one with half-knowledge, and those who don’t have any knowledge come boldly to risk their bear and all of them shamefully lost their beard. 543Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYiBU5WTUWP
“Hmph, Vathek didn’t realize that he has been shaming his own subject through his punishment. This pear is even sweeter and better than Vathek himself in behavior. Vathek, you cruel ruler,” Alice made a sarcastic comment while chewing on her fruit. 543Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3eDmAMDB1c
The smell of singed hair disgusts the ladies and causes Alice to cover her nose along with Vine.
After a while, an elderly man with a beard scales a cubit and half longer than the others stands before Vathek’s presence. The officers of the palace whispered to each other as they ushered him to Vathek. 543Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzUUT3NT8YM
“What a pity such a beard should be burnt!” The officer said. 543Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9OGSczCscu
The Caliph concurs for their opinion but he has no concern with the old man.
This venerable personage read the characters with facility and explained them in verbal as follows: “We were made where everything good is made; we are the least of the wonders of a place where all is wonderful, and deserving the sight of the first potentate on earth. “You translate admirably! I know to what these marvelous characters allude to. Let him receive as many robes of honor and thousands of sequins of gold as he hath spoken words. I am in some measure relieved from the perplexity that embarrassed me!” Vathek cried. 543Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeCpzdFvvnD
Vine looks at Alice. 543Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu3M5c8hdnF
“What’s a sequin of gold?” Vine asked. 543Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnZvTjUMXQ
Alice takes out a small dictionary from her pocket and search up the word “sequin”. 543Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuLWSTdmedn
“Sequin means jewelry. In other words, sequin of gold means jewelry made of gold,” Alice said and closed the dictionary. 543Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbRboVM6gnK
“Still...I doubt that the Caliph would be pleased to hear something that offended him for once,” she doubted.
Vathek invited the old man to dine and even to remain some days in the palace. Alice and Vine follow the Caliph to the dining room. 543Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwRyYji40zb
“Guess we will have to sleep for tonight again,” Alice said. 543Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJhD1azLXN
“Let’s find a place to hide and sleep,” Vine said. 543Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhfigCr2TN
Both of them go outside the room and hide behind the barrels. Their invisibility magic wears off and Alice wraps herself and Vine with a sheet used to cover the barrel. The old man accepted Vathek’s offer and unlucky for him, the Caliph called him the next morning. 543Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBkSV6Cm0Tk
“Read again to me what you have read already. I cannot hear too often the promise that is made me, the completion of which I languish to obtain,” Vathek said.
The old man forthwith put on his green spectacles, but they instantly dropped from his nose on perceiving that the characters he had read yesterday had changed into different characters.
“What ails you? Why these symptoms of wonder?” Vathek asked.
“Sovereign of the world, these sabers hold another language today from the language it held yesterday,” the old man replied. 543Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJrbPJxron
“How say you? It matters not! Tell me, if you can, what they mean,” Vathek said.
“It is this, my lord. “Woe to the rash mortal who seeks to know that of which he should remain ignorant, and to undertake that which surpasseth his power”!” the old man said.
“And woe to thee! Today, thou art void of understanding. Begone from my presence! They shall burn but the half of thy beard, because, thou were yesterday fortunate in guessing. My gifts I never resume,” the Caliph cried in a sudden burst of indignation. Vathek’s sudden anger causes both Vine and Alice to flinch out of shock. 543Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTaij0U8Je
“What did the Sultan say?” Vine asked. 543Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0xx7MuCD3i
“The Caliph said that he will burn the elderly man’s beard for reading a sentence that offended him. Wow, Vathek’s anger shocked us awake a lot earlier,” Alice said.
The old man, wise enough to perceive his anger, luckily escaped considering the folly of disclosing such disgusting truth. He immediately withdrew and never appears again. Alice gave the man protection magic on his way to escape from Vathek in case something happen to him midway.
But it was not long before Vathek discovered an abundant reason to regret his precipitation. Even though he could not decipher the characters himself, he realized that by constantly poring upon them, he plainly perceived that they every day changed. Unfortunately, no other candidate offered to explain them after the elderly man. This perplexing occupation inflames his blood, dazzles his sight, and causes giddiness and debility that he could not support. He failed not, however, though in so reduced a condition, to be carried to his tower as he read the stars which he went to consult something more congenial to his wishes. But, his hopes were deluded. His eyes, dimmed by the vapors of his head, began to subserve his curiosity so ill that he beheld nothing but a thick dun cloud which he took for the most direful of omens.
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