Speechless she stood before him with her hands before her face, and speechless stood Hahmed, as, holding her at arm’s length, he gazed upon his woman, gazed until a great tremor suddenly shook him.

For behold he saw that the glory of womanhood had descended upon her, and that her hour was nigh.

“Allah!” he whispered, as he gently drew her into his arms.  “Thou art with child, O! my beloved.  Why was I not stricken blind for this my senseless folly?  Why was I not stricken dumb for those my words of wrath spoken to thee, thou tree bearing the fruit of love?  Oh! glory be to Allah in this most wonderful thing.”

He picked her up, and carrying her into the first room, laid her upon the divan and knelt beside her with her hand against his mouth whilst she whispered to him the great, the everlastingly wonderful and new tidings of the coming of her babe.

“Oh, dearest of men and most little understanding.  Truly it is that within me I hold thy great gift.  How was it thou didst not guess when I no longer raced thee across the sands upon my horse, or sprang to the ground to greet thee on my return.

“And even when my moods changed even as changeth the colour of the sands, even then, dear heart, thou didst not guess; and I in my foolish woman’s way was contrary, and could not even then be sure that my happiness lay here in the desert.  And so I left thee, to try thee and myself, and not until I could no longer see thee, and have speech with thee, did I------ Hahmed!  Ah, beloved!  Nay, ’tis nothing--it can be nothing—­because two moons have yet to rise and wane before—­ah, and yet—­maybe—­maybe the journey, although not tedious, has brought about my happiness before its time.  Beloved, I------”

With eyes alight, with a great pride and face aglow with tenderness, Hahmed bent and kissed the little agonised face.

“I go one instant, Queen of Women, to bid thy body woman come, she, praise be to Allah, being well versed in the mighty miracle of birth.

“She will tend thee with the tenderness of a mother, and the skill of the greatest doctor in the land.

“Fret not, beloved, I am gone but for one moment.”

Jill lay silent, and then smiled sweetly as out of the shadows ran a little hunchback figure who stood without word, for a moment gazing with love-laden eyes at the white woman, then kneeling suddenly, kissed the cushion upon which rested the girl’s dainty feet.

For half an hour Jill submitted to the adoring little woman’s ministrations, who made water to splash, and scented the air with aromatic perfume, and spread white loose gowns and softest linens before her mistress for her choice.

“Leave me, Ameena, now,” whispered Jill, and she was alone with the golden glory of her hair falling about her, as she pressed her hands against her mouth, until uncontrollably and insistently her cry for her master tore the air.