brother; "you may speak out
with freedom, without fear of being heard."

"It is by no means proper," replied King Saleh, "that the king my
nephew should as yet have any knowledge of what I am going to
say. Love, you know, sometimes enters at the ear, and it is not
necessary he should thus conceive a passion for the lady I am
about to name. Indeed I see many difficulties to be surmounted,
not on the lady's part, as I hope, but on that of her father. I
need only mention to you the princess Jehaun-ara, daughter of the
king of Samandal."

"How! brother," replied Queen Gulnare, "is not the princess yet
married? I remember to have seen her before I left your palace;
she was then about eighteen months old, surprisingly beautiful,
and must needs be the wonder of the world, if her charms have
increased with her years. The few years she is older than the
king my son ought not to prevent us from doing our utmost to
effect the match. Let me but know the difficulties in the way,
and we will surmount them."

"Sister," replied King Saleh, "the greatest difficulty is, that
the king of Samandal is insupportably vain, looking upon all
others as his inferiors: it is not likely we shall easily get him
to enter into this alliance. I will however go to him in person,
and demand of him the princess his daughter; and, in case he
refuses her, we will address ourselves elsewhere, where we shall
be more favourably heard. For this reason, as you may perceive,"
added he, "it is as well for the king my nephew not to know any
thing of our design, till we have the consent of the king of
Samandal." They discoursed a little longer upon this point and,
before they parted, agreed that King Saleh should forthwith
return to his own dominions, and demand the princess for the king
of Persia his nephew.

This done, Queen Gulnare and King Saleh, who believed King Beder
asleep, agreed to awake him before they retired; and he
dissembled so well that he seemed to awake from a profound sleep.
He had heard every word, and the character they gave of the
princess had inflamed his heart with a new passion. He had
conceived such an idea of her beauty, that the desire of
possessing her made him pass the night very uneasy without
closing his eyes.

Next day King Saleh proposed taking leave of Gulnare and the king
his nephew. The young king, who knew his uncle would not have
departed so soon but to go and promote without loss of time his
happiness, changed colou