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and love-longing redoubled upon the prince and the delight of sleep was forbidden to him, whilst she in her turn tasted not food and her patience failed and her heart sickened for desire.
As soon as it was day, she sent for her nurse, who came and found her in sorry plight. Quoth the princess, ‘Question me not of my case; for all I suffer is due to thee. Where is the beloved of my heart?’ ‘O my lady,’ answered the old woman, ‘when did he leave thee? Hath he been absent from thee more than this night?’ ‘Can I endure from him an hour?’ rejoined Heyat en Nufous. ‘Come, find some means to bring us together speedily, for my soul is like to depart [my body].’ ‘O my lady,’ said the old woman, ‘have patience till I contrive thee some subtle device, whereof none shall be ware.’ ‘By the Great God,’ cried the princess, ‘except thou bring him to me this very day, I will tell the King that thou hast corrupted me, and he will cut of thy head!’ Quoth the nurse, ‘I conjure thee, by Allah, have patience with me, for this is a dangerous matter!’ And she humbled herself to her, till she granted her three days’ delay, saying, ‘O my nurse, the three days will be as three years to me; and if the fourth day pass and thou bring him not, I will go about to slay thee.’
The old woman left her and returned to her lodging, where she abode till the morning of the fourth day, when she summoned the tirewomen of the town and sought of them fine paint and dyes for the painting and adorning of a virgin girl, and they brought her cosmetics of the best. Then she sent for the prince and bringing forth of her chest a suit of woman’s apparel, worth five thousand dinars, and a kerchief fringed with all manner jewels, said to him, ‘O my son, hast thou a mind to foregather with Heyat en Nufous?’ ‘Yes,’ answered he. So she took a pair of tweezers and pulled out the hairs of his face and anointed his eyes with kohl. Then she stripped him and painted
