Zobeide told her, she would not withhold her consent; but that she would see you first, in order to judge if she had made a good choice; in which case she meant herself to defray the expenses of the wedding. Thus you see your felicity is certain; since you have pleased the favourite, you will be equally agreeable to the mistress, who seeks only to oblige her, and would by no means thwart her inclination. All you have to do is to come to the palace. I am sent hither to invite you as soon as you determine to go. My resolution is already formed, said I, and I am ready to follow you whithersoever you please to conduct me. Very well, said the eunuch; but you know men are not allowed to enter the ladies’ apartments in the palace, and you must be introduced with great secrecy. The favourite lady has contrived the matter well. On your side you must act your part discreetly; for if you do not, your life is at stake. I gave him repeated assurances punctually to perform whatever he might require. Then, said he, in the evening, you must be at the mosque built by the caliph’s lady on the bank of the Tigris, and wait there till somebody comes to conduct you. To this I agreed; and after passing the day in great impatience, went in the evening to the prayer that is said an hour and a half after sunset in the mosque, and remained there after all the people had departed. Soon after I saw a boat making up to the mosque, the rowers of which were all eunuchs, who came on shore and put several large trunks into the mosque, and then retired; only one of them staid behind, whom I perceived to be the same eunuch that had all along accompanied the lady, and had been with me that morning. I saw the lady also enter the mosque; and making up to her, told her I was ready to obey her orders. We have no time to lose, said she; and opening one of the trunks, bid me get into it, that being necessary both for your safety and mine. Fear nothing, added she; leave the management of all to me. I considered with myself, I had gone too far to recede, and so obeyed her orders; and she immediately locked the trunk. This done, the eunuch her confidant called the other eunuchs who had brought in the trunks, and ordered them to carry them on board again. The lady and eunuch re-embarked, and the boatmen rowed to Zobeide’s apartment. In the mean time I reflected very seriously upon the danger to which I had exposed myself, and made vows and prayers, though it was then too late. The boat stopped at the palace gate, and the trunks were carried into the apartment of the officer of the eunuchs, who keeps the key of the ladies apartments, and suffers nothing to enter without a narrow inspection. The officer was then in bed, and there was a necessity of calling him up.