this wise, seeing that it will be an affront to her father an if thou take her without his knowledge.”  Quoth Azadbakht, ’I have not patience to wait till thou repair to her sire and return, and no shame will betide him, if I marry her.”  And quoth the eunuch, “O my lord, naught that in haste is done long endureth nor doth the heart rejoice therein; and indeed it behoveth thee not to take her on this unseemly wise.  Whatsoever betideth thee, destroy not thyself with haste, for I know that her sire’s breast will be straitened by this affair and this that thou dost will not win thy wish.”  But the king said, “Verily, Isfahand is my Mameluke and a slave of my slaves, and I reck not of her father, an he be fain or unfain.”  So saying, he drew the reins of the mule and carrying the damsel, whose name was Bahrjaur,[FN#134] to his house, married her.  Meanwhile, the Eunuch betook himself, he and the knights, to her sire and said to him, “O my lord, thou hast served the king a-many years’ service and thou hast not failed him a single day; and now he hath taken thy daughter without thy consent and permission.”  And he related to him what had passed and how the king had seized her by force.  When Isfahand heard the eunuch’s words, he was wroth with exceeding wrath and assembling many troops, said to them, “Whenas the king was occupied with his women[FN#135] we took no reck of him; but now he putteth out his hand to our Harim; wherefore ’tis my rede that we look us out a place wherein we may have sanctuary.”  Then he wrote a letter to King Azadbakht, saying to him, “I am a Mameluke of thy Mamelukes and a slave of thy slaves and my daughter at thy service is a hand-maid, and Almighty Allah prolong thy days and appoint thy times to be in joy and gladness!  Indeed, I went ever waist-girded in thy service and in caring to conserve thy dominion and warding off from thee all thy foes; but now I abound yet more than erewhile in zeal and watchfulness, because I have taken this charge upon myself, since my daughter is become thy wife.”  And he despatched a courier to the king with the letter and a present.  When the messenger came to King Azadbakht and he read the letter and the present was laid before him, he rejoiced with joy exceeding and occupied himself with eating and drinking, hour after hour.  But the chief Wazir of his Wazirs came to him and said, “O king, know that Isfahand the Wazir is thine enemy, for that his soul liketh not that which thou hast done with him, and this message he hath sent thee is a trick; so rejoice thou not therein, neither be thou misled by the sweets of his say and the softness of his speech.”  The king hearkened to his Wazir’s speech, but presently made light of the matter and busied himself with that which he was about of eating and drinking, pleasuring and merrymaking.  Meanwhile, lsfahand the Wazir wrote a letter and sent it to all the Emirs, acquainting them with that which had betided him from King Azadbakht and how he had forced his daughter, adding, “And indeed he will