ladies were not less surprised than the king. After the assembly
was over, every one retired to her apartment; and the king was
left alone with the fair slave.

The next morning the king of Persia rose more pleased than he had
been with all the women he had seen before, and more enamoured
with the fair slave than ever. Indeed, he soon made it appear, by
resolving henceforth to attach himself to her alone; and
performed his resolution. On the same day he dismissed all his
other women, giving every one of them their jewels, and other
valuables, besides a considerable fortune, with free leave to
marry whom they thought fit; and only kept the matrons and a few
other elderly women to wait upon the fair slave. However, for a
whole year together, she never afforded him the pleasure of one
single word; yet the king continued his assiduities to please
her, and to give her the most signal proofs of sincere love.

After the expiration of the year, the king sitting one day by his
mistress, protested to her that his love, instead of being
diminished, grew every day more violent. "My queen," said he, "I
cannot divine what your thoughts are; but nothing is more true,
and I swear to you, that having the happiness of possessing you,
there remains nothing for me to desire. I esteem my kingdom,
great as it is, less than an atom, when I have the pleasure of
beholding you, and of telling you a thousand times that I adore
you. I desire not that my words alone should oblige you to
believe me. Surely you can no longer doubt of my devotion to you
after the sacrifice which I have made to your beauty of so many
women, whom I before kept in my palace. You may remember it is
about a year since I sent them all away; and I as little repent