The little woman obeyed, and came to kneel beside the girl, gazing up at the fair white face with positive worship in her eyes.

“Great is the news, O! mistress.”

“Tell it.”

The words were sharp, and the faintest shadow of a smile glinted for a moment in the native’s eyes.

“Behold, O! beautiful flower!  Unto us, the slaves of our great master, under whose feet we are but as dust, it has been told that he upon whom may Allah’s greatest blessings fall, is about to take unto himself a wife.”

Silence!  Save for a little breath indrawn too quickly.

“Well, proceed with the wonderful news!” The words were icy, but a smile flickered for a moment across the native’s face, and was gone.

“Behold has he, the greatest man in Egypt and Arabia, before whom all are but shadows, and unto whom is offered the love and respect of all those who live within the bounty of his great heart, yea! behold has he deigned to look upon Amanreh, the thirteen year old daughter of Sheikh el Hoatassin, second only in wealth and prowess to our own master.  Fair is she and young, in very truth meet to wed with him who rules us with a hand of iron, bound in thongs of softest velvet.

“Beautiful, yes! beautiful as the day at dawn, and straight as yon marble pillar, and as delicately tinted, rounded as the bursting lotus bud, and fit to carry the honour of bearing her master’s children!  In a few moons it------!”

“Begone!”

The word cracked like a whip through the scented room, but as the little hunchback crept swiftly through the curtains, the smile passed from the eyes to the mouth, as softly she whispered to herself: 

“It is well done!”

CHAPTER XXIX

Out on to the balcony and back, this way, that way, to and fro, paced Jill in her black room.  Black skins lay upon the black marble floor, black satin cushions upon the skins.  Curtains of scented leather, as soft and supple as satin, hung before the doors let into the walls of black carved wood.

A long couch of ebony, untouched by silver or by gold, stood under one of the gigantic black marble statues, which represented an Ethiopian slave or some wild beast, holding in hand or mouth a lamp with shade of flaming orange, the one touch of colour in the whole room.

There was no sound save for the occasional crackle of resinous log burning in a brazier placed in a far corner, before which Jill suddenly crouched, shivering, though the night was warm.  Weary was she from want of sleep, weary was her heart from loneliness, weary her mouth, laden with unuttered words of the great love, which, day by day, hour by hour, yea! even from the moment she had turned to find her fate behind her, had been growing and expanding until naught was left of her but love and fear.  For fear had been her companion in the hours of the night, which she had passed in restless pacing upon the balcony.