They did not stay long for this passionate lover. She came after
evening-prayers, with her confident and two other slaves. The
excess of joy that seized those two lovers, when they saw one
another, it is altogether impossible to express. They sat down
together upon the sofa for some time, without being able to
speak, they were so much overjoyed; but, when speech returned to
them, they soon made up for their silence. They expressed
themselves with so much tenderness, as made the jeweller, the
confident, and the two other slaves, weep. The jeweller, however,
restrained his tears to think upon the collation, which he
brought. The lovers ate and drank a little, after which they
again sat down on the sofa. Schemselnihar asked the jeweller if
he had a lute, or any other instrument. The jeweller, who took
care to provide all that might please them, brought her a lute,
which she took some time to tune, and then played.
While Schemselnihar was thus charming the prince of Persia, and
expressing her passion by words composed extempore, a great noise
was heard, and immediately the slave whom the jeweller brought
with him appeared in a terrible fright, to tell him that some
people were breaking up the gate; that he asked who it was, but,
instead of an answer, the blows were redoubled. The jeweller,
being alarmed, left Schemselnihar and the prince, to go and
inform himself of the truth of this bad news.
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