They took their
ease there and ate and drank and passed the night in the greatest
comfort and delight, till morning, when they arose from sleep and
making their ablutions, prayed the morning-prayer and drank the
morning-draught. As soon as the sun had risen and the markets and
shops were open, they went out to the bazaar and opened their
shop, which their servants had already furnished, after the
handsomest fashion, with prayer-rugs and silken carpets and a
pair of divans, each worth a hundred dinars. On each divan they
had spread a rug, garded with gold and fit for a king, and in the
midst of the shop stood a third seat of still greater elegance,
even as the case required. Taj el Mulouk sat down on one couch
and Aziz on another, whilst the Vizier seated himself on that in
the centre, and the servants stood before them. The people of the
city heard of them and crowded to them, so that they sold some of
their goods and the report of Taj el Mulouk's beauty and grace
spread throughout the place. Some days passed thus, and every day
the people flocked to them more and more, till the Vizier, after
exhorting the prince to keep his secret, commended him to Aziz's
care and went home, that he might be alone and cast about for
some device that might profit them.
Meanwhile, the two young men sat talking and the prince said to
Aziz, 'It may be some one will come from the Princess Dunya.
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