ess of thy odorous skin. There is to be held a big
entertainment within the walls of the white man's hotel, and soon. An
entertainment where the whites dance foolishly in foolish raiment,
disguised as that which they are not and with covered faces. What
easier than for me to obtain entry as one of them under my veils and
have speech with the man I love? And if he is as thou sayest, besotted
with love of this white girl, then will I use the man of barbarous name
as a tool to bring about that which I desire. Know'st thou the eunuch?"

"Mistress, he is my twin-brother."

"Twin of _thee_! Behold, did not thy mother die of fright, at sight of
such monstrosities?"

"Nay, mistress, there are six sons younger than thy slave, each one of
which could break thee in one hand."

Zulannah sprang to her feet and, seizing a short whip from a table,
smote the man again and again until his face ran blood.

"Thou vile brute, darest thou so to speak! Behold, this is but a
foretaste of what will befall thy black carcase before the hour is
spent."

"Call thy slaves, mistress; split my tongue; whip the soles from off my
feet, the flesh from my body, even to the bones, and thou shalt never
meet my twin-brother, who even now prepareth the great palace for the
coming of the"--he spat--"bird of different-coloured plumage."

And Zulannah, understanding that she must not overstep the limit if she
desired to attain her end, flung the whip full into the stolid,
indifferent face, and fled, raving obscenities, into the house.

CHAPTER VIII

"_If God in His wisdom have brought close
The day when I must die,
That day by water or fire or air
My feet shall fall in the destined snare
Wherever my road may lie_."

DANTE GABRIEL ROSETTI

"May I come in? Oh, Maris, what _do_ you think? There is to be a real
native fortune-teller in the Winter Garden. They've made the corner
near the fountain like an Arab's tent, and he'll tell us our horoscopes
in the sand, and all sorts of things."

"Not forgetting the stars, let us hope?"

"Oh, there's sure to be that."

Damaris laughed as she turned in her chair and looked at the excited
little visitor in fancy-dress.

"You _do_ look sweet. A Light of the Harem, for certain."

"Yes; and what do you think? There are three dozen Lights. Isn't it a
shame? I thought I should be the only one. And there are two and a
half dozen Sheikhs, and I don't know how many doze