am for the persistence of estrangement and the effects of
forbiddance." So Shefikeh took them and carried them to El Abbas,
whom she found in act to depart, for that he was about to take
horse for Yemen. She went in to him and gave him the napkin and
that which was therein, and when he opened it and saw what it
contained, to wit, the mantle and the necklace, his vexation was
excessive and his eyes were distorted, [so that the whites
thereof appeared] and his rage was manifest in them.

When Shefikeh saw that which betided him, she came forward and
said to him, "O bountiful lord, indeed my mistress returneth not
the mantle and the necklace despitefully; but she is about to
depart the world and thou hast the best right to them." "And what
is the cause of this?" asked he. Quoth Shefikeh, "Thou knowest.
By Allah, never among the Arabs nor the barbarians nor among the
sons of the kings saw I a harder of heart than thou! Is it a
light matter to thee that thou troublest Mariyeh's life and
causest her mourn for herself and depart the world on account
of[FN#110] thy youth? Indeed, thou wast the cause of her
acquaintance with thee and now she departeth the world on thine
account, she whose like God the Most High hath not created among
the daughters of the kings."

When El Abbas heard these words from the damsel, his heart irked
him for Mariyeh and her case was grievous to him; so he said to
Shefikeh, "Canst thou avail to bring me in company with her, so
haply I may discover her affair and allay that which aileth her?"
"Yes," answered the damsel, "I can do that, and thine will be the
bounty and the favour." So he arose and followed her, and she
forewent him, till they came to the palace. Then she [opened and]