When he had made an end of his verses, he folded the letter and gave it to the nurse, who took it and carried it to Mariyeh.  When she came into the princess’s presence, she saluted her; but Mariyeh returned not her salutation and she said, “O my lady, how hard is thy heart that thou grudgest to return the salutation!  Take this letter, for that it is the last of that which shall come to thee from him.”  Quoth Mariyeh, “Take my warning and never again enter my palace, or it will be the cause of thy destruction; for I am certified that thou purposest my dishonour.  So get thee gone from me.”  And she commanded to beat the nurse; whereupon the latter went forth fleeing from her presence, changed of colour and absent of wits, and gave not over going till she came to the house of El Abbas.

When the prince saw her in this plight, he was as a sleeper awakened and said to her, “What hath befallen thee?  Set out to me thy case.”  “God on thee,” answered she, “nevermore send me to Mariyeh, and do thou protect me, so may God protect thee from the fires of hell!” Then she related to him that which had bedded her with Mariyeh; which when he heard, there took him the shamefastness of the generous and this was grievous unto him.  The love of Mariyeh fled forth of his heart and he said to the nurse, “How much hadst thou of Mariyeh every month?” “Ten dinars,” answered she, and he said, “Be not concerned.”  Then he put his hand to his poke and bringing out two hundred dinars, gave them to her and said, “Take this for a whole year’s wage and turn not again to serve any one.  When the year is out, I will give thee two years’ wage, for that thou hast wearied thyself with us and on account of the cutting off of thy dependence upon Mariyeh.”

Moreover, he gave her a complete suit of clothes and raising his head to her, said, “When thou toldest me that which Mariyeh had done with thee, God rooted out the love of her from my heart, and never again will she occur to my mind; so extolled be the perfection of Him who turneth hearts and eyes!  It was she who was the cause of my coming out from Yemen, and now the time is past for which I engaged with my people and I fear lest my father levy his troops and come forth in quest of me, for that he hath no child other than myself and cannot brook to be parted from me; and on like wise is it with my mother.”  When the nurse heard his words, she said to him, “O my lord, and which of the kings is thy father?” “My father is El Aziz, lord of Yemen and Nubia and the Islands[FN#91] of the Benou Kehtan and the Two Noble Sanctuaries[FN#92] (God the Most High have them in His keeping!),” answered El Abbas; “and whenas he taketh horse, there mount with him an hundred and twenty and four thousand horsemen, all smiters with the sword, let alone attendants and servants and followers, all of whom give ear unto my word and obey my commandment.”  “Why, then, O my lord,” asked the nurse, “didst thou conceal the secret of thy rank and lineage and passedst thyself off for a wayfarer?  Alas for our disgrace before thee by reason of our shortcoming in rendering thee thy due!  What shall be our excuse with thee, and thou of the sons of the kings?” But he rejoined, “By Allah, thou hast not fallen short!  Nay, it is incumbent on me to requite thee, what while I live, though I be far distant from thee.”