The next morning the king of Persia rose more pleased than he had been with all the women he had seen before, and more enamoured with the fair slave than ever.  Indeed, he soon made it appear, by resolving henceforth to attach himself to her alone; and performed his resolution.  On the same day he dismissed all his other women, giving every one of them their jewels, and other valuables, besides a considerable fortune, with free leave to marry whom they thought fit; and only kept the matrons and a few other elderly women to wait upon the fair slave.  However, for a whole year together, she never afforded him the pleasure of one single word; yet the king continued his assiduities to please her, and to give her the most signal proofs of sincere love.

After the expiration of the year, the king sitting one day by his mistress, protested to her that his love, instead of being diminished, grew every day more violent.  “My queen,” said he, “I cannot divine what your thoughts are; but nothing is more true, and I swear to you, that having the happiness of possessing you, there remains nothing for me to desire.  I esteem my kingdom, great as it is, less than an atom, when I have the pleasure of beholding you, and of telling you a thousand times that I adore you.  I desire not that my words alone should oblige you to believe me.  Surely you can no longer doubt of my devotion to you after the sacrifice which I have made to your beauty of so many women, whom I before kept in my palace.  You may remember it is about a year since I sent them all away; and I as little repent of it now, as I did the moment of their departure; and I never shall repent.  Nothing would be wanting to complete my happiness and crown my joy, would you but speak one single word to me, by which I might be assured that you thought yourself at all obliged.  But how can you speak to me if you are dumb? and alas!  I feel but too apprehensive that this is the case.  How can I doubt, since you still torment me with silence, after having for a whole year in vain supplicated you to speak?  If it is possible for me to obtain of you that consolation, may heaven at least grant me the blessing of a son by you, to succeed me.  I every day find myself growing old, and I begin already to want one to assist me in bearing the weight of my crown.  Still I cannot conceal the desire I have of hearing you speak; for something within me tells me you are not dumb:  and I beseech, I conjure you, dear madam, to break through this long silence, and speak but one word to me; after that I care not how soon I die.”

At this discourse the fair slave, who, according to her usual custom, had hearkened to the king with downcast eyes, and had given him cause to believe not only that she was dumb, but that she had never laughed, began to smile.  The king of Persia perceived it with a surprise that made him break forth into an exclamation of joy; and no longer doubting but that she was going to speak, he waited for that happy moment with an eagerness and attention that cannot easily be expressed