see.”  “Open them,” cried he, “and let me see them.”  She excused herself, alleging 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,” resumed the caliph; “I will see them.”  She still represented that her mistress would be angry with her, if she complied:  “No, no,” said he, “I will engage she shall not say a word to you.  Come, come, open them, and do not keep me waiting.”

It was necessary to obey, which gave me such alarm, that I tremble every time I recollect my situation.  The caliph sat down; and the favourite ordered all the trunks to be brought before him one after another.  She opened some of them; and to lengthen out the time, displayed the beauties of each particular stuff, thinking in this manner to tire out his patience; but her stratagem did not succeed.  Being as unwilling as myself to have the trunk where I lay opened, she left that to the last.  When all the rest were viewed, “Come,” said the caliph, “let us see what is in that.”  I am at a loss to tell you whether I was dead or alive that moment; for I little thought of escaping such imminent danger.

When Zobeide’s favourite saw that the caliph persisted in having this trunk opened:  “As for this,” said she, “your majesty will please to dispense with the opening of it; there are some things in it which I cannot shew you without your lady be present.”  “Well, well,” said the caliph, “since that is the case, I am satisfied; order the trunks to be carried away.”  The words were no sooner spoken than they were moved into her chamber, where I began to revive again.

As soon as the eunuchs, who had brought them, were gone, she opened the trunk in which I was confined.  “Come out,” said she; “go up these stairs that lead to an upper room, and wait there till I come to you.”  The door, which led to the stairs, she locked after me; and that was no sooner done, than the caliph came and sat down on the very trunk which had been my prison.  The occasion of this visit did not respect me.  He wished to question the lady about what she had seen or heard in the city.  So they conversed together some time; he then left her, and retired to his apartment.

When she found the coast clear, she came to the chamber where I lay concealed, and made many apologies for the alarms she had given me.  “My uneasiness,” said she, “was no less than yours; you cannot well doubt of that, since I have run the same risk out of love to you.  Perhaps another person in my situation would not, upon so delicate an occasion, have had the presence of mind to manage so difficult a business with so much dexterity; nothing less than the love I had for you could have inspired me with courage to do what I have.  But come, take heart, the danger is now over.”  After much tender conversation, she told me it was time to go to rest, and that she would not fail to introduce me to Zobeide her mistress, some hour on the morrow, “which will be very easy,” added she; “for the caliph never sees her but at night.”  Encouraged by these words, I slept very well, or if my sleep was interrupted, it was by agreeable disquietudes, caused by the hopes of possessing a lady blest with so much wit and beauty.