CHAP. IV.] JAHANARA. 73
of the candles lighting the passage. As her robes were made of exquisitely fine muslin and were besides perfumed with atar and other essences, the flames wrapped her round in a moment. Her four maids flung themselves on her to smother the fire with their persons, but it spread to their own dress and they had to let go their hold in agony. By the time aid arrived and the fire was put out, the princess had been dreadfully burnt : her back, both sides, and arms were severely injured.*
She was the best loved child of Shah Jahan,
and well did she deserve his Her character. ., . _ ,
affection. Ever smce her
mother's death, her care and forethought had
saved him from domestic worries. Her sweetness
of temper and gentleness of heart, even more
than her mental accomplishments, soothed his
mind in fatigue and anxiety, while her loving
kindness healed all discords in the Imperial
family, and spreading beyond the narrow circle
of her kinsfolk made her the channel of the royal
bounty to orphans, widows, and the poor. In
the full blaze of prosperity and power her name
was known in the land only for her bounty and
graciousness. In adversity she rose to a nobler
- Abdul Hamid, ii. 363 — 369 ; Khafi Khan, i. 598—600.
