it."

Eminah laughed, and fell a-teasing him. "Perchance the _dzhins_ have
stolen it from thee," cried she. Suppose she had said, "Thou art
sitting upon it, Ali Pasha?"

Ali Pasha took the damsel upon his lap, and rejoiced in her innocent,
artless eyes and her childlike smile. He fancied he could look through
those eyes down to the very depths of her heart. If only he _could_
have seen into it!

And while he was thus toying with her, the kadun-keit-khuda entered
the room of the odalisks, bringing with him a veiled damsel.

"Gracious lady," said he to Eminah, "I bring thee a Greek maiden, who
hath heard the fame of thy benevolence, and hath come of her own
accord to bask in the light of thy countenance, and gather fresh
strength from my smiles;" and he drew the maiden forward towards
Eminah, who immediately recognized the girl whose lover Ali Pasha had
decapitated, and said, playfully, to the guardian of the harem:

"Lo, kadun-keit-khuda, the damsel is trembling! If thou dost not
support her she will fall!"

"It is by reason of her great shyness, gracious lady."

"But how pale she is!"

"Thy beauty casteth a shadow upon her."

"But look!--she weeps!"

"They are tears of joy, lady."

Eminah gave the guardian of the harem a handful of ducats for his good
answers, and allowed the bashful damsel to stand before her. Then she
sent for sweetmeats, golden bread-fruits, wine with the lustre of
garnets, and her opium narghily; and, cradling Ali's gray head in her
bosom, seized her mandolin and sang to him Arab love-songs--hot,
burning, rose-scented, dew-besprinkled love-songs--and the pasha drew
over his face the long silken tresses of the damsel, as if he would
envelop himself in the cool shade of Paradise, and sleep a sleep of
sweet melody, intoxicating rapture, and soothing opium.

When the ivory stem of the narghily dropped from the hands of the
pasha, Eminah sent from the room all the damsels; only the newly
arrived Greek maiden remained behind. She made her sit down before her
on a cushion, and, putting into her hands a large silk fan to fan the
pasha with, she asked the damsel her name.

The damsel shook her head--she would not say.

"Why wilt thou not tell me?"

"Because I have still a sister at home."

Eminah understood the answer. "Come nearer," said she. "Last night I
had a dream. Methought I was in a large tower, the interior of which
was illuminated by twelve torches. Whichever way my eyes turned