Page:The Way of a Virgin.djvu/117

Rh the Prince's side, the test of beauty to be as follows:—

Each is to be awakened in turn, without knowledge of the other, and whichever is the more enamoured will be held inferior in comeliness.

''Dahnash then changes himself into a Yea, and bites Kamar al-Zaman, who wakes up. The text continues:—''

...Then turning sideways, he found lying by him something whose breath was sweeter than musk and whose skin was softer than cream. Hereat he marvelled with great marvel, and he sat up and looked at what lay beside him; when he saw it to be a young lady like an union pearl, or a shining sun, or a dome seen from afar on a well-built wall: for she was five feet tall...bosomed high and rosy-cheeked...

And when Kamar al-Zaman saw the lady Budur, daughter of King Ghayur, and her beauty and comeliness, she was sleeping clad in a shift of Venetian silk, without her petticoat trousers, and wore on her head a kerchief embroidered with gold and set with stones of price; her ears were hung with twin earrings which shone like constellations, and round her neck was a collar of union pearls, of size unique, past the competence of any king.

When he saw this, his reason was confounded and natural heat began to stir in him; Allah awoke in him the desire of coition and he said to himself:

"Whatso Allah willeth, that shall be, and what he willeth not shall be!"

So saying, he put out his hand, turning her over, loosed the collar of her chemise; then arose before his sight her bosom, with its breasts like