"Ha' done," says Alphana, "you break your word already."
"Not at all," replies the president: "but you have not answered my question. What do you think of this furniture?" And then turning to his grey-hound, "come hither, Folly, give me thy paw, my child. Folly is a good girl.——Will madam be pleased to take a turn in the garden? Let us walk on my terrass, it is a charming one. I am overlooked by some of my neighbours, but possibly they will not know you.—"
"My lord president, I am not curious," says Alphana with an air of dudgeon. "I think we are better here."
"Just as you please," answers Hippomanes. "If you are tired, there is a bed. If you have the least inclination, I advise you to try it. Young Asteria, and little Phenice, who are great judges, assure me that it is a good one." While Hippomanes was talking thus impertinently to Alphana, he pull'd off her gown by the sleeves, unlaced her stays, untied her petticoats, and disengaged her two clumsy feet from two little slippers.
When Alphana was almost naked, then did she perceive that Hippomanes was undressing her.—"What are you doing?" cryed she quite surprized. "President, you don't consider. I shall be angry in earnest."
"Ah, my queen," answered Hippomanes, "to be angry with a man who loves you as I do, would be such an oddity as you are not capable of. May I presume to entreat you to walk to this bed?"
"To this bed," replied Alphana. "Ah! my lord president, you abuse my tenderness. I to go into a bed! I, into a bed!"
"No, no, my queen," answered Hippomanes. "That is not the thing, who desires you to go to it. But you must, if you please, suffer yourself to be conducted to it: for you may easily conclude from your size, that I cannot be in the humor of carrying you to it."—Nevertheless he grasped her about the waist, and making some efforts, "Oh how weighty she is," says he. "But, my child, if you do not lend a helping hand, we shall never reach it."
Alphana was sensible that he spoke truth, lent her assistance, compassed getting on her legs, advanced towards that bed, at which she had been so scared, partly on her own feet, and partly on the shoulders of Hippomanes, to whom she pantingly said: "Surely I must have been a great fool to come hither. I confided in your good conduct, and your extravagance is quite unreasonable."—"Not at all," answered the president, "not at all. You see that what I do is decent, very decent."
'Tis probable that they said many other genteel things of this sort; but as the Sultan did not think proper to spend more time in attending their conversation, those things are lost to posterity. What a pity!