to his bosom by a little cord.

Now and then she had asked Ali what was in this tower that she was not
allowed to see, and what he did when he remained there all night
alone? At such times Ali would reply that he went there to consort
with spirits who were teaching him how to find the stone of the wise,
how to become perpetually young, how to foresee the future, and make
gold and other marvels--all of which it was easy to make a woman
believe who did not even know that all men do not wear white beards.

After all such occasions Eminah, when she was alone again, would
conjure up before her all sorts of marvellous blue and green denizens
of fairyland appearing before Ali in the elements of air, fire, and
water, to teach him how to make gold. And Ali always proved to Eminah
that what he told her was no idle tale, for whenever he returned the
next day he was followed by a whole procession of dumb eunuchs
carrying baskets filled with gold and precious stones. Thus Ali not
only knew how to make gold, but also those things that are made of
gold--that is to say, coined money and filigreed ornaments, which he
piled up before her; and to Eminah it seemed a very nice thing, and
quite natural that if these peculiar spirits could manufacture gold
from nothing, they should also be able to make necklaces and bracelets
out of smoke, as Ali told her they did without any difficulty at all.

Now any one would have been curious to get to the bottom of such
mysteries, especially if they were close at hand; how much more, then,
a spoiled and pampered young woman, who frequently was not able to
sleep for the joy which the presents heaped upon her by Ali excited in
her breast. How much she would have loved to see these benevolent
spirits who had given her so much pleasure!

Frequently she implored Ali to take her with him when he went into the
red tower; but the pasha always tried to frighten her by saying that
these spirits were most cruel to strangers in general, and women in
particular, whom they would be ready to tear limb from limb, so that
Eminah always had to abandon her desire.

But when once a woman has made up her mind to do a thing, do it she
will, though a seven-headed dragon were to stand in the way; and if
fear is a great power in this world, curiosity is a still greater.

One evening Eminah accompanied Ali right up to the brass door, and as
he went in she dexterously thrust a little pebble between the door and
the threshol