deed."

I began to be more and more aghast at this tremendous frankness, and
was utterly at a loss what to say.

"My father," continued Layelah, "is different from the other Kosekin,
and so am I. I seek requital for love, and do not think it an evil."

A sudden thought now suggested itself, and I caught at it as a last
resort.

"You have," said I, "some lover among the Kosekin. Why do you not
marry him?"

Layelah smiled.

"I have no lover that I love," said she, "among the Kosekin."

My feeble effort was thus a miserable failure. I was about saying
something concerning the Kosekin alphabet or something else of an
equally appropriate nature, when she prevented me.

"Atam-or," said she, in a low voice.

"Layelah," said I, with my mind full of confusion.

"I love you!"

She sat looking at me with her beautiful face all aglow her dark eyes
fixed on mine with an intense and eager gaze. I looked at her and said
not one single word. Layelah was the first to break the awkward
silence.

"You love Almah, Atam-or; but say, do you not love me? You smile at
me, you meet me always when I come with warm greetings, and you seem
to enjoy yourself in my society. Say, Atam-or, do you not love me?"

This was a perilous and a tremendous moment. The fact is, I did like
Layelah very much indeed, and I wanted to tell her so; but my
ignorance of the language did not allow me to observe those nice
distinctions of meaning which exist between the words "like" and
"love." I knew no other word than the one Kosekin word meaning "love,"
and could not think of any meaning "like." It was, therefore, a very
trying position for me.

"Dear Layelah," said I, floundering and stammering in my confusion, "I
love you; I--"

But here I was interrupted without waiting for any further words; the
beautiful creature flung her arms around me and clung to me with a
fond embrace. As for me, I was utterly confounded, bewildered, and
desperate. I thought of my darling Almah, whom alone I loved. It
seemed at that moment as though I was not only false to her, but as if
I was even endangering her life. My only thought now was to clear up
my meaning.

"Dear Layelah," said I, as I sat with her arms around me, and with my
own around her slender waist, "I do not want to hurt your feelings."

"Oh, Atam-or! oh, my love! never, never did I know such bliss as
this."

Here again I was overwhelmed, but I still persisted in my effort.

"Dear Layelah," said I