forgiveness.

'We had been living in this way for some months when one day the news
came that the king had fallen dangerously ill. I begged the prince to
hurry at once to the Court, both to see his father and also to show
himself to the senators and nobles, but as his love for me was greater
than his desire of a crown, he hesitated as if foreseeing all that
afterwards happened. At last Tezila spoke to him so seriously in
Thelamis's presence, that he determined to go, but promised that he
would return before night.

'Night came but no prince, and Tezila, who had been the cause of his
departure, showed such signs of uneasiness that Thelamis's jealousy was
at once awakened. As for me, I cannot tell what I suffered. Not being
able to sleep I rose from my bed and wandered into the forest, along the
road which he had taken so many hours before. Suddenly I heard in the
distance the sound of a horse's hoofs, and in a few moments the prince
had flung himself down and was by my side. "Ah, how I adore you!" he
exclaimed; "Thelamis's love will never equal mine." The words were
hardly out of his mouth when I heard a slight noise behind, and before
we could turn round both our heads were rolling in front of us, while
the voice of Thelamis cried:

'"Perjured wretches, answer me; and you, faithless Tezila, tell me why
you have betrayed me like this?"

'Then I understood what had happened, and that, in his rage, he had
mistaken me for my sister.

'"Alas," replied my head in weak tones, "I am not Tezila, but Dely,
whose life you have destroyed, as well as that of your friend." At this
Thelamis paused and seemed to reflect for an instant.

'"Be not frightened," he said more quietly, "I can make you whole
again," and laying a magic powder on our tongues he placed our heads
on our necks. In the twinkling of an eye our heads were joined to our
bodies without leaving so much as a scar; only that, blinded with rage
as he still was, Thelamis had placed my head on the prince's body, and
his on mine!

'I cannot describe to you how odd we both felt at this strange
transformation. We both instinctively put up our hands--he to feel his
hair, which was, of course, dressed like a woman's, and I to raise the
turban which pressed heavily on my forehead. But we did not know what
had happened to us, for the night was still dark.

'At this point Tezila appeared, followed by a troop of slaves bearing
flowers. It was only by the light of their tor