the apartments.”  She then sat down on a sofa; and when the prince at her entreaty had seated himself by her, she continued, “You are surprised, you say, that I know you, and am not known by you; but you will be no longer surprised when I inform you who I am.  You cannot be ignorant, as the Koran informs you, that the world is inhabited by genii as well as men:  I am the daughter of one of the most powerful and distinguished of these genii, and my name is Perie Banou; therefore you ought not to wonder that I know you, the sultan your father, the princes your brothers, and the princess Nouronnihar.  I am no stranger to your loves or your travels, of which I could tell you all the circumstances, since it was I myself who exposed to sale the artificial apple which you bought at Samarcand, the carpet which prince Houssain purchased at Bisnagar, and the tube which prince Ali brought from Sheerauz.  This is sufficient to let you know that I am not unacquainted with every thing that relates to you.  I have to add, that you seemed to me worthy of a more happy fate than that of possessing the princess Nouronnihar; and that you might attain to it, I was present when you drew your arrow, and foresaw it would not go beyond prince Houssain’s.  I seized it in the air, and gave it the necessary motion to strike against the rocks near which you found it.  It is in your power to avail yourself of the favourable opportunity which presents itself to make you happy.”

As the fairy Perie Banou pronounced the last words with a different tone, and looked at the same time tenderly at the prince, with downcast eyes and a modest blush upon her cheeks, it was not difficult for him to comprehend what happiness she meant.  He reflected that the princess Nouronnihar could never be his, saw that Perie Banou excelled her infinitely in beauty and accomplishments, and, as far as he could conjecture by the magnificence of the palace, in immense riches.  He blessed the moment that he thought of seeking after his arrow a second time, and yielding to his inclination, which drew him towards the new objeft which had fired his heart:  he then replied, “Should I, all my life, have the happiness of being your slave, and the admirer of the many charms which ravish my soul, I should think myself the happiest of men.  Pardon the presumption which inspires me to ask this favour, and do not refuse to admit into your court a prince who is entirely devoted to you.”

“Prince,” answered the fairy, “as I have been, long my own mistress, and have no dependence on a parent’s consent, it is not as a slave that I would admit you into my court, but as master of my person, and all that belongs to me, by pledging your faith to me, and taking me as your wife.  I hope you will not think it indecorous, that I anticipate you in this proposal.  I am, as I said, mistress of my will; and must add, that the same customs are not observed among fairies as with human-kind, in whom it would not have been decent to have made such advances:  but it is what we do, and we suppose we confer obligation by the practice.”