e led me down to the guard's bed, on which I sat myself down,
being strangely interested in this play. He drew the curtain in front of
me, and I heard him return to the centre of the room and clap his hands.
Someone entered, saying,

"High Lord, your will?"

"Silence!" he exclaimed, and began to whisper orders, while I wondered
what kind of a physician this might be who was addressed as "High Lord."

The servant went, and, after a while of waiting that seemed long, once
more the door was opened, and I heard the sweep of a woman's dress upon
the carpet.

"Be seated, Lady," said the grave voice of the physician, "for I have
words to say to you."

"Sir, I obey," answered another voice, at the sound of which my heart
stood still. It was that of Heliodore.

"Lady," went on the physician, "as my robe will tell you, I am a doctor
of medicine. Also, as it chances, I am something more, namely, an envoy
appointed by the Caliph Harun-al-Rashid, having full powers to deal
with your case. Here are my credentials if you care to read them," and I
heard a crackling as of parchment being unfolded.

"Sir," answered Heliodore, "I will read the letters later. For the
present I accept your word. Only I would ask one question, if it pleases
you to answer. Why have not I and the General Olaf been conveyed to
the presence of the Caliph himself, as was commanded by the Emir
Obaidallah?"

"Lady, because it was not convenient to the Caliph to receive you,
since as it chances at present he is moving from place to place upon the
business of the State. Therefore, as you will find in the writing, he
has appointed me to deal with your matter. Now, Lady, the Caliph and I
his servant know all your story from lips which even you would trust.
You are betrothed to a certain enemy of his, a Northman named Olaf
Red-Sword or Michael, who was blinded by the Empress Irene for some
offence against her, but was afterwards appointed by her son Constantine
to be governor of the Isle of Lesbos. This Olaf, by the will of God,
inflicted a heavy defeat upon the forces of the Caliph which he had sent
to take Lesbos. Then, by the goodness of God, he wandered to Egypt in
search of you, with the result that both of you were taken prisoner.
Lady, it will be clear to you that, having this wild hawk Olaf in his
hands, the Caliph would scarcely let him go again to prey upon the
Moslems, though whether he will kill him or make of him a slave as yet I
do not know. Nay,