loak to hide our
marriage, and will furnish you with an opportunity of being present or
absent at pleasure, without occasioning any suspicion of our marriage.
It will likewise enable you to acquire, by your civil, frank, and
generous dealings, the public esteem, which will one day be of great
advantage to us; for we live under the government of a Caliph who has
ears everywhere, and who likewise makes very good use of his own. Go,
then, and my heart will accompany you wherever you are: if it could be
rendered visible, you would see it continually fluttering around you.
Besides, you will be under my hand: we have our trusty old woman, by
whose means you will have the satisfaction of hearing me spoken of,
and I shall have that of being informed of your welfare, and
communicating to you my wishes. Above all,' added she, 'as our
marriage cannot be concealed from your parents, charge them to keep it
a profound secret.'

"Night was beginning to come on when this discourse was ended; and my
wife ordered the old woman to blindfold me, and conduct me out of the
gates of the palace till I was under the portico where I had first
submitted to this operation. As soon as my guide had restored to me
the use of my eyes, I flew with all speed to my father's house. A
neighbouring lady was just entering it. She discovered me by the light
of a shop before which I passed.

"'Halechalbe!' exclaimed she, 'what! is it you? Do not show yourself
so unexpectedly to your mother. Retire for a few minutes into my
house, and in the meantime my husband will go and inform her of your
return. She is in the utmost distress and despair at your loss; and
the joy occasioned by your sudden and unexpected return might be
productive of fatal consequences.

"'Whence come you, wicked young man?' said she, as soon as she had sat
down. 'How could you let your worthy parents continue ignorant of what
had become of you?'

"Not having a story ready made for the first inquisitive person I
should meet, and it being necessary to conceal my marriage from
everybody, I was very much at a loss what answer to give. But I made
it up by presence of mind, and was obliged to have recourse to a lie.

"'I am astonished, madam,' answered I, 'to hear you talk of the
vexation which I have occasioned to my parents. Having met with an
opportunity of going to Balsora, where I had a very urgent and
important examination to take against one of my most considerable
debtors, and, not