The jeweller then gave the confident the satisfaction she desired; and, after he had told her all, even to the departure of the prince’s mother to bring her son’s body to Bagdad, she began, and said, You have not forgotten, I suppose, that I told you the caliph had sent for Schemselnihar to his palace; and it is true, as we had all the reason in the world to believe, he had been informed of the amour between her and the prince by the two slaves, whom he had examined apart.  Now, you will be apt to imagine he must of necessity be exceedingly enraged at Schemselnihar, and discover many tokens of jealousy and revenge against the prince; but I must tell you he had neither one nor the other, aud lamented only his dear mistress forsaking him, which he in some measure attributed to himself, in giving her so much freedom to walk about the city without his eunuchs.  This was all the resentment he showed, as you will find by his carriage towards her.

He received her with an open countenance; and when he observed the sadness she was under, which nevertheless did not lessen her beauty, with a goodness peculiar to himself, he said, Schemselnihar, I cannot bear your appearing thus before me with an air of affliction.  You must be sensible how much I have always loved you by the continual demonstrations I have given you; and I can never change my mind, for even now I love you more than ever.  You have enemies, Schemselnihar, proceeded he; and those enemies have done you all the wrong they can.  For this purpose they have filled my ears with stories against you, which have not made the least impression upon me.  Shake off, then, this melancholy, continued he, and prepare to entertain your lord this night after your accustomed manner.  He said many other obliging things to her, and then desired her to step into a magnificent apartment, and stay for him.

The afflicted Schemselnihar was very sensible of the kindness the caliph had for her; but the more she thought herself obliged to him, the more she was concerned that she was so far off from the prince, without whom she could not live, and yet was afraid she should never see him more.

This interview between the caliph and Schemselnihar, continued the confident, was whilst I came to speak with you; and I learned the particulars of it from my companions, who were present.  But I had no sooner left you, proceeded she, than I went to my dear mistress again, and was an eye-witness to what happened afterwards.  I found her in the apartment I told you of; and, as she thought I came from you, she came to me, and whispering in my ear, said, I am much obliged to you for the service you have been doing me, but fear it will be the last.  I took no notice of her words, and she said no more to me; but if I had a mind to say any thing to comfort her, I was in a place by no means proper for disclosing my thoughts.