beit I had not given it to thy father; but on condition
that thou swear to me a solemn oath and abide me constant thereto, to
wit, that thou wilt return and bring me a girl of the age of fifteen
years, with whom there shall be none to match in loveliness, and she
must be a clean maid, who shall never have lusted after man, nor shall
man have lusted after her. Moreover, thou must swear to me that thou
wilt keep faith with her, coming, and beware lest thou play me false
with her by the way."

So Zein ul Asnam swore a solemn oath to him of this and said to him, "O
my lord, indeed, thou honourest me with this service; but methinketh it
will be hard to find a girl like this. Nay, supposing I find a damsel
fifteen years of age and beautiful exceedingly, according to Thy Grace's
requirement, how shall I know that she hath never in her time lusted
after man nor hath man lusted after her?" "O Zein ul Asnam," replied
the King of the Jinn, "thou art in the right and certain it is that this
knowledge is a thing unto which the sons of man may not avail; but I
will give thee a mirror of my fashion, and when thou seest a girl and
her beauty pleaseth thee and her grace, do thou open this mirror that
I shall give thee, and if thou find her image therein clear and bright,
thou shalt know forthright that she is pure without default and that all
good qualities are in her; so do thou take her for me. If thou find
her image in the mirror other than this, to wit, an it be troubled and
clothed with uncleanness, know that the girl is sullied and beware of
her; but, an thou find one such as she whose qualities I have set out
to thee, bring her to me and watch over her [by the way;] yet beware and
again I say, beware of treason and bethink thee that, an thou keep not
faith with me, thou wilt assuredly lose thy life."

So Zein ul Asnam made with him a stable and abiding covenant, the
covenant of the sons of kings, that he would keep the plighted faith
and never play him false, but [93] would bring him the damsel with all
continence. Then the King of the Jinn delivered him the mirror and said
to him, "O my son, take this mirror whereof I bespoke thee, and now
depart." Accordingly Zein ul Asnam and Mubarek arose and calling down
blessings upon the King, returned upon their steps till they came to
the lake, where they sat a little and behold, up came the boat which had
brought them and the genie rowing therein, whose head was as [94] the
head of an