few years he became a youth, and the down appeared on his cheeks; his
body and limbs were well formed! then there began to be a talk about
him out of doors among the courtiers. The guards of all descriptions
began to forbid him from coming and going within the palace. At length,
his entrance into it was quite stopped, and without him I had no rest;
a moment [of absence on his part,] was an age [of pain on mine]. When
I heard these tidings of despair, I was as distracted as if the
day of judgment had burst over me; and such was my condition that I
could not speak a word [to express my wishes]: nor yet could I live
separated from him. I had no means of relief; O God, what could I do;
a strange kind of uneasiness came over me, and in consequence of my
distraction I addressed myself to the same eunuch [who was in all my
secrets], and said to him, 'I wish to take care of this youth. In
fact, the best plan is for you to give him a thousand gold pieces,
to set him up in a jeweller's shop in the _chauk_, that he may from
the profit of his trade live comfortably; and to build him a handsome
house near my residence; to buy him slaves, and hire him servants and
fix their pay, that he may in every way live at his ease.' The eunuch
furnished him with a house, and set up a jeweller's shop for him to
carry on the traffic, and prepared everything that was requisite. In a
short time, his shop became so brilliant and showy, that whatever rich
_khil'ats_ or superb jewels were required for the king and his nobles,
could only be procured there; and by degrees his shop so flourished,
that all the rarities of every country were to be found there; and
the daily traffic of all other jewellers became languid in comparison
with his. In short, no one was able to compete with him in the city,
nor was his equal [to be found] in any other country.

"He made a great deal of money [174] by his business; but [grief
for his] absence daily preyed on my mind, and injured my health;