Part 24 (2/2)
”I care not so that the sleek -descended Sakr-el-Bahr May Allah break his bones! What of those slaves of his--those two froland, O Asad? I am told that one is a woift of Eblis to these Northerners What is his purpose with her--that he would not show her in the suk as the law prescribes, but co thee set aside the law for his to prove his vile disloyalty, and yet thou'lt fawn upon his are bared to thine own son”
He advanced upon her, stooped, caught her by the wrist, and heaved her up
His face showed grey under its deep tan His aspect terrified her at last and e
He raised his voice to call
”Ya anta! Ayoub!”
She gasped, livid in her turn with sudden terror ”My lord, ry! What wilt thou do?”
He srowled ”What I should have done ten years ago and ain he called, asped in shuddering horror now that at last she found hi to which so often she had dared hirovelled and e the Pitiful be merciful upon the excesses to which ue of mine O my sweet lord! O father of Marzak!”
Her distress, her beauty, and perhaps, more than either, her unusual humility and submission may have moved him For even as at that moment Ayoub--the sleek and portly eunuch, as her wazeer and cha, he vanished again upon the instant, dismissed by a peremptory wave of the Basha's hand
Asad looked down upon her, sneering ”That attitude becomes thee best,”
he said ”Continue it in future” Conterasp, turned and stalked er like a royal s, who felt as if they had looked over the very edge of death
There was a long silence between theth Fenzileh rose and crossed to the meshra-biyah--the latticed -box She opened it and took from one of its shelves an earthenware jar, placed there so as to receive the slightest breeze Froreedily That she could perfor of hands would have brought slaves toof her disordered state of mind
She slammed the inner lattice and turned to Marzak ”And now?” quoth she
”Now?” said the lad
”Ay, what now? What are we to do? Are we to lie crushed under his rage until we are ruined indeed? He is bewitched That jackal has enchanted him, so that he uide us here, Marzak, or thou'lt be tra his head; slowly hehimself down upon its pillows; there he lay prone, his hands cupping his chin, his heels in the air
”What can I do?” he asked at last
”That is what Imust be done, and soon
May his bones rot! If he lives thou art destroyed”
”Ay,” said Marzak, with sudden vigour and significance ”If he lives!”
And he sat up ”Whilst we plan and plot, and our plans and plots coht be better e the shorter way”
She stood in the looht of that,” said she ”I could hire old But the risk of it”
”Where would be the risk once he is dead?”
”He ht pull us doith him, and then ould our profit be in his death? Thy father would avenge him terribly”
”If it were craftily done we should not be discovered”