' 'I hear and obey,'
replied the old woman; 'but let me first go to my house and
change my dress, and I will be with thee anon.' 'Go,' said the
princess; 'but be not long absent from me.' So the old woman left
her and repairing to Taj el Mulouk, said to him, 'Don thy richest
clothes and go to the gardener and salute him and make shift to
hide thyself in the garden.' 'I hear and obey,' answered he; and
she agreed with him upon a signal to be made by her to him and
returned to the princess. As soon as she was gone, the Vizier and
Aziz rose and dressed Taj el Mulouk in a right costly suit of
kings' raiment, worth five thousand dinars, and girt his middle
with a girdle of gold set with jewels. Then he repaired to the
garden and found the keeper seated at the gate. As soon as the
latter saw him, he sprang to his feet and received him with all
respect and consideration and opening the gate, said, 'Enter and
take thy pleasure in the garden.' Now the gardener knew not that
the princess was to visit the garden that day: but Taj el Mulouk
had been there but a little while, when he heard a noise and ere
he could think, out came the eunuchs and damsels by the private
door. When the gardener saw this, he came up to the prince and
said to him, 'O my lord, what is to be done? The Princess Dunya,
the King's daughter, is here.' 'Fear not,' replied the prince;
'no harm shall befall thee: for I will conceal myself somewhere
about the garden.
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