The sun in a great red-gold ball was slipping behind the sharp edge of
sand which like a steel wire marked the far horizon, the sky resembling
some gorgeous Eastern mantle stretched red and orange and purple from
the West, fastened by one enormous scintillating diamond star to the
pink, grey, fawn and faintest heliotrope shroud which the dying day was
wrapping around her in the East.
Terrific had been the heat throughout the month, wilting the palms,
drawing iridescent vapours from the diminished stream, making the very
sand too hot even for native feet.
The green reed blinds sheltering the great balcony room, and over
which, in the heat of the day, trickled a continuous stream of water,
were drawn up to allow the sunset breeze to pass right through the long
two-storeyed building which, the essence of coolness, comfort, and
beauty, in the past months by the efforts of countless skilled workmen,
hailing from every conceivable corner of Asia and Egypt, and regardless
of expense and labour, had been built for one beautiful English girl,
who, in a moment of ever regretted contrariness, had refused to
participate in the planning and devising of the work, thereby shutting
herself off from that most fascinating pastime, house-building; leaving
everything down to the minutest details to the imagination, ingenuity,
and inventive genius of the Arab. For months she had listened to the
monotonous chant of the men at work, the tap of hammer, swish of saw,
and dull thud of machinery, and also to the grunting and grumbling of
the camels who, in great caravans from every point of the compass, had
complainingly brought their burdens of riches.
The groves of great date palms around her temporary abode had prevented
her from seeing the outcome of all the noise, her misplaced pride or
temper, or whatever you will, likewise preventing her from inquiring as
to the progress made from the Arab, who, at her bidding, would come and
sit with her, talking gravely upon absolutely indifferent subjects,
neither showing by word or gesture if she were any more to him than the
rug beneath his feet.
Just a mouth ago, when the moon was at the full, Jill had made what she
whimsically called the moon-light flitting.
Veiled closely, she had put her hand into that of the man, and
confidingly walked with him through the pitch blackness of the palm
groves, and out into the moon-filled space beyond the lake, until they
reached and stopped before a heavy iron door let into a massive wall,
the top of which bore a crown of flashing, razor-edged, needle-pointed
steel blades.
"The treasure of the world will be safe behind those walls, for behold,
there are but two golden keys with which to open the door, one is yours
the other mine. To Mustapha has been confided the safe-keeping of the
walls, and with it power to kill whoever should approach within ten
yards without your permit."
And the girl turned quickly as the door swung to softly, with the
scarcely perceptible click of a lock, and then moved forward with as
much indifference as she could muster on the spur of the moment,
feeling the eyes of the Arab upon her. Gardens stretched before her
with groves, and arbours, and every device conceivable for throwing
shade upon her path. The stream, bending in an S, rippled and laughed
its way under the little bridges; fountains splashed, seats of marble,
seats of scented wood, little tables, silken awnings and screens,
hanging lanterns of many colours, and swinging hammocks made of the
place a fairyland; until suddenly, as she turned the last curve of the
stream, she saw the marble building, built as it were by the waving of
a magic wand, glistening in the silver light.
Imagine four buildings about the height of Buckingham Palace, without
the attic windows, or whatever they represent, built to form a square
of snow-white gleaming marble, with verandahs built out and supported
by fairy marble pillars, so as to throw the lower rooms into complete
shade; more fairy pillars springing from the upper side of the
verandahs to support the wide edge of the roof, and so make a great
covered-in balcony to the second floor.
The French windows, divided by columns of different coloured marble,
terminated in perfect arches, studded with great lumps of uncut
amethyst, turquoise matrix, and blocks of quartz in which dully gleamed
the yellow of gold, reminding Jill somewhat of the outer decorations of
a shop she had once seen in the Nevski Prospekt, the owner of which,
dealing in _objets d'arts_, and precious bibelots of jade and sich, had
quite successfully thought out the novel and expensive advertising
method of plastering the front of his shop with chunks of the precious
metal with which the bibelots were made. The drops of a myriad slender
fountain jets, caught in the light of the hanging lanterns, sparkled
and flashed like handfuls of precious stones, and an almost
overpowering perfume filled the air from flowers only half-asleep.
A great gate of silver and bronze opened silently to admit them to the
inner courtyard, only the rolling, glistening eyeballs of Mustapha, the
eunuch, showing that there was any life whatever in the massive black
hulk standing within the shadow.
Just for a moment the girl stood absolutely motionless, and then turned
sharply as a noiseless shape stole past her, and purring loudly rose on
its hind feet and laid its velvety paws upon the Arab's shoulder,
dropping back in a crouching position as Jill, exclaiming softly,
involuntarily stepped forward and laid her hand protectingly upon the
man's arms.
It takes a long time to write, but hardly a second had passed before
the great animal, snarling viciously, shot out its velvety paw, plus a
row of steel-strong claws, and ripped the girl's cloak open from neck
to knee. And then indeed did black Mustapha rise to the occasion, and
in his master's esteem, as also without a sound he shot out an ebony
black arm, gnarled and knotted like any centuries old bough of oak,
terminating in an ebony black hand, which could have easily been
divided between four normal men, and still left a bit over, and picking
up the fighting, clawing animal by the neck, held it lightly at arm's
length, whilst awaiting dumbly his master's order.
"Kill it," said Hahmed briefly.
And whilst Jill pinched herself to see if she was really there or no,
the eunuch, with joy-filled eye, and teeth glistening in a smile of
utter satisfaction, gently tightened his grip on the velvety, tawny
throat.
There was a stifled growl, a click, and the dead animal was laid at the
girl's slender feet.
"My favourite hunting cheetah, O! woman! Behold, Mustapha, shalt thou
spread the news of its untimely end as a warning to all those who, by
sign of hand or word of mouth or thought of brain, should desire to do
harm to thy mistress. And even shall thou tell me how yon dead beast
came to be prowling in the seclusion of thy mistress's abode."
Great beads of perspiration broke out on the face and neck of the
scared man, as he salaamed deeply before his master, and knelt to beat
his forehead upon the ground before the woman.
"Behold, O! master! And may Allah grant me years of life within the
blessing of thy shadow. A slave returning from the exercising and
feeding of four, O! master, of thy hunting cheetahs, came to me this
noon full of idle curiosity. Behold, I spoke with him outside the open
gate, and perchance yon dead brute crept in unnoticed, whilst I pointed
out the evil of his ways and those of his ancestors; also, perchance
fatigued and full of meat, the animal lay down and slept until she
heard the tread of thy honoured footsteps; perchance also thy slave,
fatigued and also full of meat, passing the hours in slumber, troubled
not to count the animals in his care."
For one moment there was silence as the Arab stood looking at the
trembling man, then Jill, laying her little hand gently upon the satin
sleeve of him whom she loved, whispered softly:
"A boon, O! Hahmed! I know--I _feel_ that you are planning the death
of this wretched man. I ask his life!"
By this time Mustapha was prone upon his face, piling imaginary dust
from the spotless mosaic pavement upon his woolly pate, scrambling to
his shaking knees on a word from his master.
"Get to thy feet and make obeisance to thy mistress, who in her
manifold bounty has saved this time thy worthless life. For behold, I
had planned to give my people a holiday in which to see thee whipped
round the wall of thy mistress's dwelling, until thou had died; then
would thy black skin have been ripped from thy worthless carcass, and
pinned to the ground before the camel paddock, so that in their goings
in and coming out they would have befouled what remained of thee
uneaten by the vultures."
And taking Jill's hand he crossed the square, leaving the eunuch
absolutely gibbering with relief.
Through a massive iron door they passed into the house, Jill exclaiming
softly at the beauty of the place. Room after room they traversed
until they came to a standstill before a satin curtain. Hahmed lifted
it and Jill entered a great room, the floor of which was of pink
marble, covered in Persian rugs, their colouring softened in the
passing of many, oh! many moons; the walls panelled in soft brocade,
and great mirrors reflecting the simplicity of the exquisite hangings,
the tint of flowers, the statuary gleaming half hidden in the corners,
the great chairs, the piles of cushions, and the swinging lamps
suspended from the ceiling by silver chains.
"I will explain, O! woman, how this house has been built, though verily
would I have had your help in these past months, for how was I to know
in what or which your desires lay.
"Behold, the rooms upon the level of the ground are rooms for your
repasts, and rooms for receiving your guests; above are the rooms for
your slumber, and your toilet, for the bathing of your white body, and
for your entertainment. In the latter you will find all that
appertains to music, to the dance, to the study of books, to the flash
of the needle. Above again are the rooms open to the breezes of the
night, screened by light screens to enable you, unveiled, to look out
upon the world, and yet keep you hidden from the curious eyes of your
many slaves who, under the rule of black Mustapha, live within the
walls and near to hand to do your slightest bidding, but hidden until
you call so as not to disturb you by their unseemly presence. They may
not die within the wall, neither may they give birth therein, still
less may they make merry without your permission. The slightest breach
of your laws will see them flogged to death and cast out into the
desert sand. One suite of rooms is pink, and one white, and one is
palest heliotrope, and yet another black, and there are many others.
May it find favour in your eyes. If perchance it pleases not, then
shall it be razed to the ground, and rebuilt upon your design."
And Jill had walked through a building such as she had not dreamed of
in her wildest fantasies, and having very sweetly thanked the Arab, had
clapped her hands, and being of perverse mood, had indifferently bidden
him good night, and entered the rose pink sleeping-room where the couch
had been designed by love, and the colouring reflected by the great
mirrors by passion; to slip from out her perfumed raiment, and step
down into the pink marble Roman bath and hide beneath the rose-tinted
waters, the rose-tinted glory of her perfect body.