I am very well pleased, said Ebn Thaher, that you do
me justice; when at first I told you that Schemselnihar was the
caliph's chief favourite, I did it on purpose to prevent that
fatal passion which you please yourself with entertaining in your
breast. All that you see here ought to disengage you, and you are
to think of nothing but of acknowledgments for the honour which
Schemselnihar was willing to do you, by ordering me to bring you
with me. Call in, then, your wandering reason, and put yourself
in a condition to appear before her, as good-breeding requires.
Behold, there she comes! Were the matter to begin again, I would
take other measures; but, since the thing is done, I wish we may
not repent of it. What I have further to say to you is this, that
love is a traitor, who may throw you into a pit from which you
will never be able to escape.
Ebn Thaher had not time to say more, because Schemselnihar came,
and, sitting down upon her throne, saluted them both with an
inclination of the head; but she fixed her eyes on the prince of
Persia, and they spoke to one another in a silent language,
intermixed with sighs; by which, in a few moments, they spoke
more than could have been done by words in a great deal of time.
The more Schemselnihar looked upon the prince, the more she found
from his looks that he was in love with her; and, being thus
persuaded of his passion, thought herself the happiest woman in
the world.
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