In the meanwhile, an eunuch came up to me, and said, “Go and stay in this [adjoining] mosque; perhaps your wishes may, in that place, be accomplished, and you may yet gain the desires of your heart.”  According to his advice I got up from the place [where I had passed the night], and went to the mosque; but my eyes remained fixed in the direction of the door of the house, to see what might appear from behind the curtain of futurity. 1 waited for the arrival of evening with the anxiety of a person who keeps the fast [of Ramazan]. [157] At last the evening came, and the heavy day was removed from my heart.  All at once the same eunuch who had given me the directions to find out the lady’s house, came to the mosque.  After finishing the evening prayer, having come up to me, that obliging person, who was in all my secrets, gave me much comfort, and taking me by the hand, led me along with him, proceeding onwards at last having made me sit down in a small garden, he said:  “Stay here until your desire [of seeing your mistress] be accomplished.”  Then he himself having taken his leave, went, perhaps, to impart my wishes to the beautiful lady.  I amused myself with admiring the beauty of the flowers of the garden, and the brightness of the full moon, and the play of the fountains in the canals and rivulets, a display like that of the mouths of Sawan and Bhadon; but when I beheld the roses, I thought of the beautiful rose-like angel, and when I gazed on the bright moon, I recollected her moon-like face.  All these delightful scenes without her were so many thorns in my eyes.

At last God made her heart favourable to me.  After a little while that lovely fair one entered from the [garden] door adorned like the full moon, wearing a rich dress, enriched with pearls, and covered from head to feet with an embroidered veil; she stepped along the garden walk, and stood [at a little distance from me].  By her coming, the beauties of that garden, and the joy of my heart revived.  After strolling for a few minutes about the garden, she sat down in the alcove on a richly-embroidered masnad.  I ran, and like the moth that flutters around the candle, offered my life as a sacrifice to her, and like a slave stood before her with folded arms.  At this moment the eunuch appeared, and began to plead for my pardon and restoration to her favour.  Addressing myself to him, I said, I am guilty, and culpable; whatever punishment is fixed on me, let it be executed.  The lady, though she was displeased, said with hauteur, “The best thing that can be done for him now is that he should receive a hundred bags of gold pieces, and having got his property all right, let him return to his native country.”