goods will be spoiled, and you must answer for them.  Zobeide will take care, I warrant you, to resent your insolence.  In fine, she stood up so tight to the matter, that the officer did not dare to take upon him to open any of the trunks.  Let me go then, said he, carry them off.  Immediately the lady’s apartment was opened, and the trunks were carried in.  They were scarcely got in, when all of a sudden I heard a cry, Here is the caliph, here comes the caliph.  This put me in such a fright, that I wonder I did not die upon the spot, for it was actually the caliph.  What hast thou got in these trunks? said he to the favourite.  Some stuffs, said she, lately arrived, which your majesty’s lady had a mind to see.  Open them, cried he, and let me see them too.  She pretended to excuse herself, alleging that the stuffs were only proper for ladies, and that by opening them his lady would be deprived of the pleasure of seeing them first.  I say, open them, cried the caliph; I have a mind to see them, and shall see them.  She still represented that her mistress would be angry with her if she opened them.  No, no, said he, I will engage she shall not say a word to you for so doing; come, open them, I cannot stop.  There was a necessity of obeying, which gave me such shocking alarms, that I trembled every time I thought on it.  Down sat the caliph; and the favourite ordered all the trunks to be brought before him, one after another.  Then she opened them; and, to spin out the time, showed all the beauties of each particular stuff, thinking thereby to tire out his patience; but her stratagem did not take.  Being as loath as I to have the trunk where I lay open, she left that till the last.  So when all the rest were viewed, Come, says the caliph, make an end; let us see what is in that one.  I am at a loss to tell you whether I was dead or alive at that moment, for I little thought of escaping so great a danger.

When Zobeide’s favourite saw that the caliph would needs have the trunk opened where I lay, As for this trunk, says she, your majesty will please to dispense with the opening of it; there are some things in it which I cannot show you unless your lady be by.  Well, well, says the caliph, since it is so, I am satisfied; order the trunks to be carried away.  The word was no sooner spoken, than the trunks were removed into her chamber, where I began to come to life again.

As soon as the eunuchs who had brought them were gone, she presently opened the trunk where I was prisoner.  Come out, said she, go up these stairs that lead to an upper room, and stay there till I come.  The door which led to the stairs she locked after I was in; and that was no sooner done than the caliph came and clapped him down upon the very trunk wherein I had been.  The occasion of this visit was a motion of curiosity that did not respect me.  He had a mind to discourse the lady about what she had seen or heard in the city.  So they discoursed together a pretty while, after which he left her, and retired