he who sat at the bed's-head, and whose name was Nouron-Nihar,
perceiving the caliph was asleep, whispered to the other, called
Nagmatos Sohi, "There is great news! The commander of the
believers our master will be overjoyed when he awakes, and hears
what I have to tell him; Fetnah is not dead, she is in perfect
health." "O heavens!" cried Nagmatos Sohi, in a transport of joy,
"is it possible, that the beautiful, the charming, the
incomparable Fetnah should be still among the living?" She
uttered these words with so much vivacity, and so loud, that the
caliph awoke. He asked why they had disturbed his rest? "Alas! my
sovereign lord," answered the slave, "pardon me this
indiscretion; I could not without transport hear that Fetnah is
still alive; it caused such emotion in me, as I could not
suppress." "What then is become of her," demanded the caliph, "if
she is not dead?" "Chief of the believers," replied the other, "I
this evening received a note from a person unknown, written with
Fetnah's own hand; she gives me an account of her melancholy
adventure, and orders me to acquaint you with it. I thought fit,
before I fulfilled my commission, to let you take some few
moments' rest, believing you must stand in need of it, after your
fatigue; and----"

"Give me that note," said the caliph, interrupting her eagerly,
"you were wrong to defer delivering it to me."

The slave immediately presented to him the note, which he opened
with much impatience, and in it Fetnah gave a particular account
of all that had befallen her, but enlarged a little too much on
the attentions of Ganem. The caliph, who was naturally jealous,
instead of being provoked at the inhumanity of Zobeide, was more
concerned at the infidelity he fancied Fetnah had been guilty of
towards him. "Is it so?" said he, after reading the note; "the
perfidious wretch has been four months with a young merchant, and
has the effrontery to boast of his attention to her. Thirty days
are past since my return to Bagdad, and she now thinks of sending
me news of herself. Ungrateful creature! whilst I spend the days
in bewailing her, she passes them in betraying me. Go to, let us
take vengeance of a bold woman, and that bold youth who affronts
me." Having spoken these words, the caliph rose, and went into a
hall where he used to appear in public, and give audience to his
court. The first gate was opened, and immediately all the
courtiers, who were waiting without, entered. The