These words, gentlemen, made me very uneasy.  How shall I get rid of this cursed barber? thought I to myself.  If I do not snub him roundly, we shall never have done contesting.  Besides, I heard then the first call to noon-prayers, and it was time for me to go.  In fine, I resolved to say nothing at all, and to make as if I consented to his proposal.  By that time he had done shaving me; then said I to him, Take some of my servants to carry these provisions along with you, and return hither; I will stay for you, and shall not go without you.  At last he went, and I dressed myself nimbly.  I heard the last call to prayers; and made haste to set out:  but the malicious barber, jealous of my intention, went with my servants only within sight of the house, and stood there till he saw them enter his house; having hid himself upon the turning of a street, with intent to observe and follow me.  In fine, when I arrived at the cadi’s door, I looked back and saw him at the head of the street, which fretted me to the last degree.

The cadi’s door was half open, and as I went in, I saw an old woman waiting for me, who, after she had shut the door, conducted me to the chamber of the young lady I was in love with:  but we had scarcely begun our interview, when we heard a noise in the street.  The young lady put her head to the window, and saw through the grate that it was the cadi, her father, returning already from prayers.  At the same time, I looked through the window, and saw the barber sitting over against the house in the same place where I had before seen the young lady.

I had then two things to fear, the arrival of the cadi, and the presence of the barber.  The young lady mitigated my fear of the first, by assuring me the cadi came but very seldom to her chamber; and, as she had foreseen that this misadventure might happen, she had contrived a way to convey me out safe; but the indiscretion of the accursed barber made me very uneasy; and you shall hear that this my uneasiness was not without ground.

As soon as the cadi came in, he caned one of his slaves that deserved it.  The slave made horrid shouts, which were heard in the streets; the barber thought it was I that cried out, and that I was maltreated.  Prepossessed with this thought, he screamed out most fearfully, rent his clothes, threw dust upon his head, and called the neighbourhood to his assistance.  The neighbourhood came, and asked what ailed him, and what relief he wanted that they could give?  Alas! cried he, they are assassinating my master, my dear patron:  and, without saying any other thing, he ran all the way to my house with the very same cry in his mouth.  From thence he returned, followed by all my domestics, armed with batoons.  They knocked with inconceivable fury at the cadi’s door, and the cadi sent a slave to see what was the matter; but the slave being frightened, returned to his master, crying, Sir, above ten thousand men are going to break into your house by force.