ot think she will be unhappy. You will, of
course, love _her_, and that is different. You are unkind to _me_, but
then that is not the same."

"You think I do not love _you_," said the Bey, taking my hands and
pressing them so that it seemed as though he would crush them in his
grasp. "You are mistaken, Feliknaz. I love you madly, passionately; I
love you so much that I would rather see you dead here at my feet than
that you should ever belong to any other than to me!"

"Why have you been so unkind to me always, then?" I murmured,
half-closing my eyes, for he was gazing at me with such an intense
expression on his dark, handsome face that I felt I dare not look up at
him again.

"Because when I have seen you suffering through me it has hurt me too;
and yet it has been a joy to me to know you were thinking of me and to
suffer with you, for whenever I have made you unhappy, little one, I
have been still more so myself. Your smiles and your gentleness have
tamed me though, at last; and now you shall be mine, not as Feliknaz the
slave, but as Feliknaz-Hanoum, for I respect you, my darling, as much as
I love you!"

Mourad-bey then took me in his arms and kissed my face and neck, and
then he went back to his rooms, leaving me there leaning on the balcony
and trembling all over.

Allah had surely cared for me, for I had never even dared to dream of
such happiness as this.

III.

And so I became a _Hanoum_. My dear Adile was my sister, and though
after years of habit I was always throwing myself down at her feet, she
would make me get up and sit at her side, either on the divan or in the
carriage. Mourad's love for me had put aside the barrier which had
separated us. There was, however, now a terrible one between my slaves
and myself. Most of them were poor girls from my own country and of my
own rank. Until now we had been companions and friends, but I felt that
they detested me at present as much as they used to love me, and I was
afraid of their hatred. They had all of them undoubtedly hoped to find
favour in the eyes of their young master, and now that I was raised to
so high a position their hatred was terrible. I did my utmost: I
obtained all kinds of favours for them; but all to no purpose, for they
were unjust and unreasonable.

My great refuge and consolation was Mourad's love for me--he was now
just as gentle and considerate as he had been tyrannical and
overbearing. My sister-in-law was married on the sa