her reason restrained her, and the king said to her, “What is this?  Art thou overcome with grief for the loss of the monies or for that which hath befallen the Eunuch?” Said she, “Nay, as thy head liveth, O king, but women are weaklings.”  Then came the Castrato and going in to her, told her all that had happened to him and also acquainted her with her son’s case and with that which he had suffered of distresses and how his uncle had exposed him to slaughter, and he had been taken prisoner and they had cast him into the pit and hurled him from the highmost of the citadel and how Allah had delivered him from these perils, all of them; and whilst he recounted to her all this, she wept.  Then she asked him, “When the king saw him and questioned thee of him, what was it thou saidst him?” and he answered, “I said to him, ’This is the son of a nurse who belonged to us.  We left him a little one and he grew up; so I brought him, that he might be servant to the king.’” Cried she, “Thou didst well;” and she charged him to serve the Prince with faithful service.  As for the king, he redoubled in kindness to the Castrato and appointed the youth a liberal allowance and he abode going in to and coming out of the king’s house and standing in his service, and every day he waxed better with him.  As for Shah Khatun, she used to station herself at watch for him at the windows and in the balconies and gaze upon him, and she frying on coals of fire on his account; yet could she not speak.  In such condition she abode a long while and indeed yearning for him was killing her; so she stood and watched for him one day at the door of her chamber and straining him to her bosom, bussed him on the breast and kissed him on either cheek.  At this moment, behold, out came the major-domo of the king’s household and seeing her embracing the youth, started in amazement.  Then he asked to whom that chamber belonged and was answered, “To Shah Khatun, wife of the king,” whereupon he turned back, quaking as one smitten by a leven-bolt.  The king saw him in a tremor and said to him, “Out on thee! what is the matter?” Said he, “O king, what matter can be more grievous than that which I see?” Asked the king, “What seest thou?” and the officer answered, “I see that the youth, who came with the Eunuch, was not brought with him save on account of Shah Khatun; for I passed but now by her chamber door, and she was standing, watching; and when the youth came up, she rose to him and clipped him and kissed him on his cheek.”  When the king heard this, he bowed his head amazed, perplexed, and sinking into a seat, clutched at his beard and shook it until he came nigh upon plucking it out.  Then he arose forthright and laid hands on the youth and clapped him in jail.  He also took the Eunuch and cast them both into a souterrain under his palace.  After this he went in to Shah Khatun and said to her, “Brava, by Allah, O daughter of nobles.  O thou whom kings sought to wed, for the purity of thy repute and the fairness of the fame of thee!