Part 28 (2/2)

”She is thine, then, O Ibrahim, for one hundred philips”

The Israelite relinquished the purse to the dalal's white-robed assistants and advanced to receive the girl The corsairs thrust her forward against hi, and his arms closed about her for a hter of Spain,” said he ”But I am content Come” And he made shi+ft to lead her away Suddenly, however, fierce as a tiger-cat she writhed her arms upwards and clawed at his face With a scream of pain he relaxed his hold of her and in thatfroa me Dios!” she cried, and ere a hand could be raised to prevent her she had buried the blade in her lovely breast and sank in a laughing, coughing, heap at his feet A final convulsive heave and she lay there quite still, whilst Ibrahilared down at her with eyes of dis a hush of sudden awe

Rosamund had risen in her place, and a faint colour caht kindled in her eyes God had shown her the way through this poor Spanish girl, and assuredly God would give her the means to take it when her own turn came She felt herself suddenly uplifted and enheartened Death was a sharp, swift severing, an easy door of escape from the horror that threatened her, and God in His mercy, she kneould justify self-murder under such circumstances as were her own and that poor dead Andalusian th Ibrahim roused himself from his momentary stupor He stepped deliberately across the body, his face inflamed, and stood to beard the impassive dalal

”She is dead!” he bleated ”I aive back the price of every slave that dies?” the dalal questioned him

”But she was not yet delivered to me,” raved the Jew ”My hands had not touched her Give ,” was the answer, dispassionately delivered

”She was thine already I had so pronounced her Bear her hence, since she belongs to thee”

The Jew, his face eht for breath

”How?” he choked ”Am I to lose a hundred philips?”

”What is written is written,” replied the serene dalal

Ibrahi at the lips, his eyes were blood-injected ”But it was never written that”

”Peace,” said the dalal ”Had it not been written it could not have coainst it?”

The crowd began to murmur

”I want my hundred philips,” the Jew insisted, whereupon the murmur swelled into a sudden roar

”Thou hearest?” said the dalal ”Allah pardon thee, thou art disturbing the peace of this market Away, ere ill betide thee”

”Hence! hence!” roared the crowd, and soly upon the luckless Ibrahim ”Away, thou perverter of Holy Writ! thou filth!

thou dog! Away!”

Such was the uproar, such the ry countenances and clenched fists shaken in his very face, that Ibrahio,” he said, and turned hastily to depart

But the dalal summoned him back ”Take hence thy property,” said he, and pointed to the body And so Ibrahi his slaves to bear away the lifeless body for which he had paid in lively potent gold

Yet by the gates he paused again ”I will appeal me to the Basha,” he threatened ”Asad-ed-Din is just, and he will have my money restored to me”

”So he will,” said the dalal, ”when thou canst restore the dead to life,”

and he turned to the portly Ayoub, as plucking at his sleeve He bent his head to catch the muttered words of Fenzileh's wazeer Then, in obedience to theht forward