“Madam, you will soon be informed,” answered Mangogul: and Selim continued.

“I have told you, madam, that I saw Cydalisa every day: I began by seeing her less frequently, I went on by slackening my visits more and more, till infine I scarce saw her at all. Whenever I happened to converse with her tête à tête, I spoke as little of love as if I had never felt the least spark of it. This change astonished her: she suspected me of some secret engagement, and one day, as I was making her a narrative of the galantries of the court, ‘Selim,’ said she to me with an air of confusion, ‘you tell me nothing concerning yourself: you relate the good fortune of others charmingly, but you are very discreet with regard to your own.’

“ ‘Madam,’ answered I, ‘ ’tis probably because I have none, or that I think it is proper to conceal it.’

“ ‘To be true,’ interrupted she, ‘ ’tis of vast consequence to conceal those things today, which all the world will know tomorrow.’