clean maid, who shall never have lusted after man, nor shall man
have lusted after her. Moreover, thou must swear to me that thou
wilt keep faith with her, coming, and beware lest thou play me
false with her by the way."

So Zein ul Asnam swore a solemn oath to him of this and said to
him, "O my lord, indeed, thou honourest me with this service; but
methinketh it will be hard to find a girl like this. Nay,
supposing I find a damsel fifteen years of age and beautiful
exceedingly, according to Thy Grace's requirement, how shall I
know that she hath never in her time lusted after man nor hath
man lusted after her?" "O Zein ul Asnam," replied the King of the
Jinn, "thou art in the right and certain it is that this
knowledge is a thing unto which the sons of man may not avail;
but I will give thee a mirror of my fashion, and when thou seest
a girl and her beauty pleaseth thee and her grace, do thou open
this mirror that I shall give thee, and if thou find her image
therein clear and bright, thou shalt know forthright that she is
pure without default and that all good qualities are in her; so
do thou take her for me. If thou find her image in the mirror
other than this, to wit, an it be troubled and clothed with
uncleanness, know that the girl is sullied and beware of her;
but, an thou find one such as she whose qualities I have set out
to thee, bring her to me and watch over her [by the way;] yet
beware and again I say, beware of treason and bethink thee that,
an thou keep not faith with me, thou wilt assuredly lose thy
life."

So Zein ul Asnam made with him a stable and abiding covenant, the
covenant of the sons of kings, that he would keep the plighted