words. Her thick dark hair flew loose, now
framing, now veiling an oval face from which, above the gauzy
Yashmak's edge, two dark eyes coolly swept her breathless audience.

But under the frail wisp of cobweb, her cheeks glowed pink, and two
full red lips parted deliciously in the half-checked laughter of
confident, reckless youth.

[Illustration: NIHLA PUT HER FEATHERED STEED THROUGH ITS ABSURD PACES]

Over hurdle after hurdle she lifted her powerful, half-terrified
mount; she backed it, pirouetted, made it squat, leap, pace, trot,
run with wings half spread and neck stretched level.

She rode sideways, then kneeling, standing, then poised on one foot;
she threw somersaults, faced to the rear, mounted and dismounted at
full speed. And through the frail, transparent Yashmak her parted red
lips revealed the glimmer of teeth and her childishly engaging
laughter rang delightfully.

Then, abruptly, she had enough of her bird; she wheeled, sprang to the
polished parquet, and sent her feathered steed scampering away through
the sand-coloured curtains, which switched into place again
immediately.

Breathless, laughing that frank, youthful, irresistible laugh which
was to become so celebrated in Europe, Nihla Quellen strolled
leisurely around the circle of her applauding audience, carelessly
blowing a kiss or two from her slim finger-tips, evidently quite
unspoiled by her success and equally delighted to please and to be
pleased.

Then, in the gilded gallery the strings began; and quite naturally,
without any trace of preparation or self-consciousness, Nihla
began to sing, dancing when the fascinating, irresponsible measure
called for it, singing again as the sequence occurred. And the
enchantment of it all lay in its accidental and detached allure--as
though it all were quite spontaneous--the song a passing whim, the
dance a capricious after-thought, and the whole thing done entirely to
please herself and give vent to the sheer delight of a young girl, in
her own overwhelming energy and youthful spirits.

Even the Teuton comprehended that, and the applause grew to a roar
with that odd undertone of animal menace always to be detected when
the German herd is gratified and expresses pleasure en masse.

But she wouldn't stay, wouldn't return. Like one of those beautiful
Persian cats, she had lingered long enough to arouse delight. Then she
went, deaf to recall, to persuasion, to caress--indifferent to praise,
to blandi