her affection known to him. One day she escaped from the princess's
notice and went to the prince, and laid her head on his feet and said:
'Heaven has bestowed on you beauty and charm. Tell me your secret; who
are you, and how did you come here? I love you very much, and if you
would like to leave this place I will go with you. I have wealth equal
to the treasure of the miserly Qarun.' But the prince only made answer
like a man distraught, and told her nothing. He said to himself, 'God
forbid that the veil should be taken in vain from my secret; that
would indeed disgrace me.' So, with streaming eyes and burning breast,
Dil-aram arose and went to her house and lamented and fretted.

Now whenever the princess commanded the prince's attendance, Dil-aram,
of all the girls, paid him attention and waited on him best. The
princess noticed this, and said: 'O Dil-aram! you must take my madman
into your charge and give him whatever he wants.' This was the very
thing Dilaram had prayed for. A little later she took the prince
into a private place and she made him take an oath of secrecy, and she
herself took one and swore, 'By Heaven! I will not tell your secret.
Tell me all about yourself so that I may help you to get what you want.'
The prince now recognised in her words the perfume of true love, and he
made compact with her. 'O lovely girl! I want to know what the rose
did to the cypress. Your mistress cuts off men's heads because of this
riddle; what is at the bottom of it, and why does she do it?' Then
Dil-aram answered: 'If you will promise to marry me and to keep me
always amongst those you favour, I will tell you all I know, and I will
keep watch about the riddle.'

'O lovely girl,' rejoined he, 'if I accomplish my purpose, so that I
need no longer strive for it, I will keep my compact with you. When I
have this woman in my power and have avenged my brothers, I will make
you my solace.'

'O wealth of my life and source of my joy!' responded Dil-aram, 'I do
not know what the rose did to the cypress; but so much I know that the
person who told Mihr-afruz about it is a negro whom she hides under her
throne. He fled here from Waq of the Caucasus--it is there you must make
inquiry; there is no other way of getting at the truth.'On hearing these
words, the prince said to his heart, 'O my heart! your task will yet
wear away much of your life.'

He fell into long and far thought, and Dil-aram looked at him and said:
'O my lif