This was intimated
to the Begum's messenger by the Prince in person,
as, kneeling before him, he presented the _nuzzur_,
(a tribute consisting of three, five, or seven gold
Mohurs, always an odd number,) and received in
exchange a Khelaut, or dress of honour. The
messenger, in return, was eloquent in describing
the importance of his mistress, her devoted veneration
for the Prince, the pleasure which she experienced
on the prospect of their motakul, or meeting,
and concluded with a more modest compliment to
his own extraordinary talents, and the confidence
which the Begum reposed in him. He then departed;
and orders were given that on the next
day all should be in readiness for the _Sowarree_, a
grand procession, when the Prince was to receive
the Begum as his honoured guest at his pleasure-house
in the gardens.
Long before the appointed hour, the rendezvous
of Fakirs, beggars, and idlers, before the gate of
the palace, intimated the excited expectations of
those who usually attend processions; while a more
urgent set of mendicants, the courtiers, were hastening
thither, on horses or elephants, as their means
afforded, always in a hurry to show their zeal,
and with a speed proportioned to what they hoped
or feared.
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