, "I love Almah most dearly and most tenderly."

"Oh, Atam-or, why speak of that? I know it well. And so by our Kosekin
law you give her up; among us, lovers never marry. So you take me,
your own Layelah, and you will have me for your bride; and my love for
you is ten thousand times stronger than that of the cold and
melancholy Almah. She may marry my papa."

This suggestion filled me with dismay.

"Oh no," said I. "Never, never will I give up Almah!"

"Certainly not," said Layelah; "you do not give her up--she gives you
up."

"She never will," said I.

"Oh yes," said Layelah; "I will tell her that you wish it."

"I do not wish it," said I. "I love her, and will never give her up."

"It's all the same," said Layelah. "You cannot marry her at all. No
one will marry you. You and Almah are victims and the State has given
you the matchless honor of death. Common people who love one another
may marry if they choose, and take the punishment which the law
assigns but illustrious victims who love cannot marry, and so, my
Atam-or, you have only me."

I need not say that all this was excessively embarrassing I was
certainly fond of Layelah, and liked her too much to hurt her
feelings. Had I been one of the Kosekin I might perhaps have managed
better; but being a European, a man of the Aryan race--being such, and
sitting there with the beautiful Layelah lavishing all her affections
upon me--why, it stands to reason that I could not have the heart to
wound her feelings in any way. I was taken at an utter disadvantage.
Never in my life had I heard of women taking the initiative. Layelah
had proposed to me, she would not listen to refusal, and I had not the
heart to wound her. I had made all the fight I could by persisting in
asserting my love for Almah, but all my assertions were brushed
lightly aside as trivial things.

Let any gentleman put himself in my situation, and ask himself what he
would do. What would he do if such a thing could happen to him at
home? But there such a thing could not happen, and so there is no use
in supposing an impossible case. At any rate I think I deserve
sympathy. Who could keep his presence of mind under such
circumstances? With us a young lady who loves one man can easily repel
another suitor; but here it was very different, for how could I repel
Layelah? Could I turn upon her and say "Unhand me"? Could I say "Away!
I am another's"? Of course I couldn't; and what's worse, if I had said