' And I, 'O thou that blamest me, whence should I
patience get?'
Then said he, 'This, O prince, is my story: hast thou ever heard
a stranger one?' Taj el Mulouk marvelled greatly at the young
merchant's tale and said to him, 'By Allah, thou hast suffered
that which never befell any but thyself, but thou hast life
appointed to thee, which thou must needs fulfil; and now I would
fain have thee tell me how thou sawest the lady who wrought these
gazelles.' 'O my lord,' answered Aziz, 'I got me access to her by
a stratagem, and it was this. When I entered her city with the
caravan, I went forth and wandered about the gardens [till I came
to one walled in and] abounding in trees, whose keeper was a
venerable old man of advanced age. I asked him to whom the garden
belonged, and he replied, "To the lady Dunya, the king's
daughter. We are now beneath her palace," added he; "and when she
is minded to divert herself, she opens the private door and walks
in the garden and breathes the fragrance of the flowers." So I
said to him, "Favour me by allowing me to sit in the garden till
she comes; haply I may be fortunate enough to catch a sight of
her as she passes." "There can be no harm in that," answered he.
So I gave him money and said to him, "Buy us something to eat."
He took the money joyfully and opening the door, admitted me into
the garden and carried me to a pleasant spot, where he bade me
sit down and await his return.
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