Profoundly perplexed, and quite unable to decide which of these two,
Bimbane or Anuti, was telling me the truth, I rode slowly and
thoughtfully back to the palace, and, surrendering Prince to the care of
'Mfuni, sought the privacy of my own apartments, anxious to think over
quietly and free from all distraction what I had heard, in the hope of
being able to arrive at some definite conclusion with regard to the
matter. Also, I was anxious to learn whether there was any foundation
for Anuti's suggestion that Bimbane was probably aware of his meeting
with me, and of what had passed between us, believing that if such were
indeed the case the queen would assuredly betray her knowledge either by
her speech or in her manner. But although I had scarcely been back long
enough to bathe and change into the garments which I usually wore
indoors when I was invited to join the queen in her apartments, I could
detect nothing in either her manner of greeting me or in her subsequent
speech to indicate that she had the least suspicion that I had spent
nearly two hours in her husband's company. There was not the slightest
shade of difference in her cordiality of manner toward me, not the
faintest suggestion of uneasiness or anxiety; and as for her
conversation, after informing me that she had received information from
the mine to the effect that a large consignment of the shining stones
might be expected shortly, she proceeded to question me with regard to
the details of my past life--of which she appeared to possess a quite
extraordinary general knowledge--and finally referred, in a perfectly
natural manner, to little Nell Lestrange, asking whether I still adhered
to my original intention of endeavouring to find the child. And upon my
assuring her that I certainly did, she asserted that she possessed the
power to help me very materially in my search, and was perfectly willing
to afford me that help, if I cared to avail myself of it; to which I
replied that I would gladly do so, and would feel infinitely obliged and
grateful for it. Whereupon she offered to show me, there and then, the
road which I must follow, upon leaving Masakisale, in order to reach the
place where the lost child might be found.
To one who thought somewhat slowly, as I generally do, this seemed to be
rather rushing matters, and, with Anuti's warning fresh in my mind, I
hesitated for just the fraction of a second, wondering whether perchance
this might not be some subtle scheme on Bimbane's part to get me into
her power; but the friendly, ingenuous look in her eyes, as I glanced
into them, disarmed my momentary suspicion, and a few seconds later,
animated by the intensity of my desire to learn what I might regarding
poor Nell's whereabouts, I found myself stretched at full length upon
the divan, with the little, shrivelled, decrepit figure of the queen
bending over me as, in obedience to her command, I stared intently at
the jewel on her right thumb, which she held within a few inches of my
eyes.
For perhaps a minute I gazed at the wonderful flashing and changing
colours of the stone, which seemed to be something between a diamond and
an opal; and then, suddenly, I seemed to be mounted on Prince and
journeying back along the road by which we had reached Masakisale, with
Piet and 'Mfuni beside me and the wagon in the rear. We seemed to be
passing the spot where I had buried the remains of the unhappy Siluce,
and in my dream we turned aside to examine the grave, and assured
ourselves that it had not been disturbed. Back, mile after mile, we
travelled until we reached a certain mountain that I remembered
perfectly well, and here we abandoned the route by which we had formerly
travelled, striking eastward round the southern side of the mountain,
and following for several days a stream that led south-eastward. Then,
abandoning that stream, and still journeying south-eastward, we "struck"
another stream that finally led us to a broad river which I somehow knew
to be the Zambezi. Along the left bank of this great river we seemed to
journey for several days, carefully noting the natural features of the
country as we went, and especially some very fine falls--which were not,
however, the famous Victoria Falls, discovered by Livingstone--and
shortly afterward we reached a drift which enabled us to cross the
river; and here we turned our backs upon it and followed upstream a
smaller river discharging into it. And thus we seemed to go, day after
day and week after week, until two months were past, when suddenly,
toward the close of a certain day, I seemed to find myself in the midst
of surroundings that I dimly remembered having seen before; and
presently it dawned upon me that I was looking upon the plain which
Mafuta, the Basuto nyanga, had shown me in the vision wherein I had been
permitted a brief glimpse of Nell Lestrange. Yes, that was the place,
without a doubt; and as I stood gazing in wonder at it a Kafir at my
side, who had come from I know not where, informed me, in reply to a
question, that the place was named Umgungundhlovu, and that it was the
Great Place of Dingaan, the king of the Zulu nation. And therewith, as
the man's words fixed themselves in my memory, the vision faded; and,
opening my eyes, I found myself staring into those of Bimbane, who was
still bending over me.
"Well, Chia'gnosi," said she, with a smile that, even on her withered
features, I somehow thought very sweet and engaging, "you have slept
long. Have you seen aught?"
"Yes," said I, rising to my feet. "I have seen the way from this place
to the spot where my friend's little daughter may be found; and I thank
you most heartily for granting me the vision. It is very wonderful, and
I wish that I possessed the power to gain such information by means of
self-induced dreams. I suppose the power lies in that ring, does it
not?"
"Nay," answered Bimbane, quickly placing her right hand behind her, "the
power is in myself; the ring is but a means, and any bright thing would
do as well." (And then I suddenly remembered the bright disk by means
of which Mafuta, the Basuto nyanga, had produced the vision that I had
witnessed in his hut.)
"And wish not for any such power, my friend," continued the queen,
seating herself upon the divan from which I had risen; "for while the
information so gained is sometimes useful, it is more often of a
distressing nature, and many times have I thus learned that those whom I
deemed my stanch friends were really secret enemies, industriously
plotting evil against me. One is far happier without such knowledge,
therefore I make use of my gift as seldom as possible. And now, go,
Chia'gnosi, for the exercise of my power has rendered me very weary, and
I must rest. But come to me again to-morrow; for although my magic has
enabled me to learn much of what happens in the world outside Bandokolo,
there are many things which I have never been able to understand until
now, when you have explained them to me, and I wish to learn all I can
while you are here to teach me."
I retreated to my own apartments more puzzled than ever as to the true
character of the queen; for while I could not help feeling that Anuti
was perfectly sincere in his denunciation of her, the more I saw of her
the more convinced did I become that there was some frightful
misunderstanding somewhere, and that she was in reality a true,
tender-hearted, generously disposed woman. Finally, I called for
Prince, and took a long ride up the valley, seeking for light; but none
came, and when about sunset I returned to the palace, I was as much
befogged as ever.
When on the following day I was again summoned to the queen's
apartments, I found her full of schemes for the better government of the
Bandokolo and the improvement in general of the condition of the people;
and upon these schemes she expressed herself anxious to have my opinion,
as well as any suggestions which I might see fit to offer. Now, I felt
that I was altogether top young to set myself up as an authority upon so
abstruse a subject as statesmanship; yet I was not quite destitute of
ideas, or the inclination to express them when they happened to be
strong and well-defined, consequently it was not long before we were so
deeply engrossed in conversation as to be practically oblivious of
everything else. Hence I was greatly astonished, not to say chagrined,
when after about an hour's animated and exceedingly interesting
conversation I suddenly became conscious that I had been asleep--for a
second or two only, it seemed to me, for when wakefulness returned the
queen was still speaking, and I gathered from her speech that I could
not have missed more than, at the most, half a dozen unimportant words.
I was profoundly annoyed with myself, for if there is one thing upon
which I especially pride myself it is my courtesy to women, let them be
young or old, rich or poor, and I felt that in permitting myself to lose
consciousness, even though it were but for a second, I had been guilty
of a piece of gross discourtesy to a woman whom I was daily growing to
respect and esteem more profoundly. Respect and esteem! Nay, those
were cold words in which to express the feeling with which I was rapidly
coming to regard this much vilified, much misunderstood woman;
admiration was a word much nearer the truth: and I sincerely hoped that
my momentary involuntary lapse of attention had escaped her notice. I
presently believed that it had, for when I ventured to look at her I
perceived that she was staring into vacancy, as people are apt to do
sometimes when they are expressing their views on a subject upon which
they feel very deeply.
We conversed together for nearly three hours that morning, and when at
length the queen dismissed me the last shred of suspicion raised in my
mind against her by Anuti had vanished, and in its stead I was conscious
of a feeling of exalted, romantic devotion, such as the knights errant
of old must have felt when they went forth to perform some deed of
desperate gallantry in honour of the women who had won their admiration.
When I rode out from the palace that afternoon, I was animated by a
fervent hope that I might encounter Anuti; for I longed for the
opportunity to convince him that the ideas which he had somehow formed
with regard to his royal wife were as far from the truth as darkness is
from light, or as the east is from the west. And, as sometimes happens,
my desire was gratified; for as I rode down the valley to pay my daily
visit to the wagon, I found the man obviously waiting for me at the spot
where we had previously met.
Upon seeing me he pressed his heels to his zebra's sides, and galloped
forward to meet me, greeting me with the same frank friendliness as
before.
"Well met, Anuti," said I. "I have been hoping that I might see you,
for I have several matters of moment that I wish to discuss with you.
Will you ride with me to the end of the valley, or shall I accompany you
to your house?"
"Let us ride to the end of the valley first, Chia'gnosi," said he;
"then, afterwards, if you will accompany me to my house, I shall feel
myself very deeply honoured."
"Right!" I said. "Forward, then! Now, Anuti, I wonder whether you can
guess why I am so anxious to have an opportunity to converse with you?"
"I think I can," he answered, with that frank, genial smile of his which
had so favourably impressed me at our former meeting. "You want to
prove to me that my ideas concerning Bimbane are all wrong, and that I,
and those who regard her as I do, are doing her the utmost injustice.
Is not that it?"
"Heavens, man, you must be a thought-reader!" I ejaculated in
astonishment. "How did you come to guess that?"
"Oh," he replied laughingly, "it was quite easy! I knew that by the
time you next met me Bimbane would have fully convinced you that she is
a wronged and grossly maligned woman; and, having thoroughly read your
character at our last meeting, I was sure that no sooner would she have
done that than your chivalry of feeling would urge you to espouse her
cause and undertake the task of proving to me and the rest of her
enemies that, in regarding her as we do, we are doing her a hideous
injustice. Well, now is your opportunity to convince me--if you can.
She has convinced you. Tell me, how did she do it?"
By way of reply I related in detail everything that had happened since I
had last met him, repeated our conversations word for word, so far as I
could recall them, and dwelt at length upon the many exalted sentiments
and lofty aspirations to which the queen had given expression; asking
him finally how he could possibly associate those sentiments and
aspirations with a woman of such a character as he believed that of
Bimbane to be.
"Quite impossible, Chia'gnosi," he answered, "if she were sincere in
their expression."
"And how do you know that she is not?" I demanded hotly.
"How do you know that she is?" he retorted. "You have only her word for
it; she has not furnished you with a shadow of proof. It is easy for a
woman--or a man--to express exalted sentiments and lofty aspirations,
even though she--or he--may not feel them. As a matter of fact, I
entertain the precise sentiments and have the same aspirations with
which you credit Bimbane; but I suppose you will require something more
than my bare assertion before you will believe me. Yet why should you
doubt me, and believe her? I will tell you. It is because she has
thrown the spell of her magic over you! You tell me that yesterday she
cast you into a trance wherein you saw the way which you must follow in
order to find the captive child of your friend. By allowing her to do
that, you afforded her an opportunity to get you under her influence and
into her power; and to-day, when you fell asleep while she was
conversing with you, she was simply testing and strengthening her power
over you. You believed that your sleep lasted but a second or two; I
believe that it may have lasted half an hour or longer, during which she
was getting more complete control over you: and when at length she
aroused you from your trance she simply resumed her conversation at the
point where it had broken off at the moment when you lost consciousness;
hence you imagined--as she intended you should--that you had been asleep
but for a moment."
"I will not believe it," I exclaimed hotly. "Nothing shall convince me
that any woman could be so base as to take such dastardly advantage of a
man as you suggest."
"Has the mischief indeed gone so far as that?" demanded Anuti, soberly
enough now. "Then I am very sorry for you, Chia'gnosi; very sorry for
us all. For in that case you will never be permitted to leave
Bandokolo, never have the opportunity to rescue the captive daughter of
your friend; while as for the rest of us, we shall inevitably be plunged
into a disastrous civil war, in which many of Bandokolo's highest and
best will be slain. Probably Bimbane, aided by you, will triumph; but,
believe me, when it is too late and the evil has been wrought, you will
discover that you have made a disastrous mistake--or, rather, have been
hideously deceived. Ah, do not shake your head in unbelief, my friend,
for remember that I am speaking from experience. I know that what I say
is true, because it was through the influence which Bimbane gained over
me that she constrained me to become her spouse, although I loved
Siluce. You look incredulous; you doubtless think that I might have
resisted, had I chosen: but I swear to you that so complete was her
power over me that I was absolutely helpless, and although I fully
understood the enormity of the crime which she was committing, and which
she was compelling me to commit, I was powerless to resist, because I
could not escape from her. But afterward, when the foul wrong was done,
when I was irrevocably bound to her, and my poor Siluce had been driven
forth to perish miserably, Bimbane foolishly relaxed her hold upon me,
thinking, I suppose, that, the knot being tied, I should not attempt to
escape, but should accept the ignoble fate which she had designed for
me. Also I think she was indifferent, because the event proved that I
was not the man through whom she believes she is to recover her
long-lost youth and beauty. And I took advantage of this relaxation of
vigilance on her part to escape from the palace and from her influence,
and, despite her entreaties and commands, have steadfastly refused to
return: hence I have been able gradually to shake off her influence
until now I am quite free from it; and I tell you that never again shall
she have an opportunity to recover her power over me, if I can help it.
Now, if you are not so completely bewitched as to be incapable of
distinguishing between truth and falsehood, come with me, for I am
prepared to submit to you ample and convincing proof of the truth of all
my charges against Bimbane."
"Very well," said I, "I will go with you, for although the matter is
really no concern of mine I am anxious to get at the truth, if only in
order that I may be of some assistance in adjusting this most unhappy
misunderstanding between the queen and the nobles. For I am convinced
that it is nothing more serious than a misunderstanding, and that a
little explanation on either side will suffice to clear it up
completely. But I warn you, Anuti, not to indulge in any false hopes of
your ability to persuade me of the queen's guilt, for I shall need
something far more convincing than unsupported assertions to satisfy
me."
"Yet Bimbane's unsupported assertions have thus far completely satisfied
you; do not forget that, Chia'gnosi," retorted Anuti. "However," he
continued, "if you can persuade yourself to regard the question of the
queen's guilt or innocence as an open one for a little while, I have no
doubt of my ability to make you recognise the truth."
Much more was said by Anuti to the same effect, but as it was in the
main but a reiteration and amplification of his previous statements, it
need not be repeated here; suffice it to say that by the time we reached
his house he had brought me to a state of mind which enabled me to
recognise that, after all, it was just possible that I might be
mistaken, that Bimbane might not be the sort of person I had allowed her
to persuade me she was, and that Anuti and his friends were at least
entitled to a dispassionate hearing.
And then, when at length we reached Anuti's dwelling, that individual
introduced me to some thirty of the most important and influential
nobles and chiefs of Bandokolo, among whom was Mindula, the father of
the unhappy Siluce; and, one after the other, these men arose and
related the wrongs, the cruelties, and the injustices which they and
theirs had suffered at the hands of Bimbane, accompanying their
statements with proofs of so convincing a character that I no longer
found it possible to disbelieve. And when at length the session was
over I arose, stunned, astounded, horrified, and furious at the thought
of the danger which I had so narrowly escaped, of falling into the hands
of a vile, unscrupulous woman, and becoming her willing, deluded tool.
"And now," I demanded, as the nobles rose to depart, "what am I to do?
It is impossible that I can continue to reside in the palace and remain
the guest of the queen; yet, having come so far, I do not like the idea
of quitting the country without at least enough of the gold and shining
stones to repay me for the toil and peril of my adventure. And I
suppose that when I announce my intention of quitting the palace the
queen will at once conjecture that I have been in communication with
you, and have learned the truth concerning her. Will she attempt to
detain me by force, think you?"
"It is impossible to surmise what she may do," answered Anuti. "It is,
however, not force so much as persuasion that you have to fear, for I do
not believe that there is a man in Bandokolo who would be willing to
face your fire weapons, even at Bimbane's command: but if you venture to
return to the palace and see her again, rest assured that she will bring
the whole power of her influence to bear upon you in the effort to
persuade you that we have deceived you, and that your original opinion
of her was the correct one. And you best know whether you have now the
strength of will to resist her beguilements. It would be safer,
perhaps, not to risk it, but to take up your abode here with me. I will
send a messenger to your servant, if you like, telling him--"
"No," said I decisively, as the thought that 'Mfuni was still in the
queen's power came to me for the first time, "I must return to the
palace, face the queen, inform her that I now know the truth concerning
her and refuse any longer to remain her guest, and see what comes of it.
As to her seeking to influence me, I have no doubt that she will do
that, but I must take the risk; and now that I am fully convinced of the
truth of all your assertions, I do not greatly dread the result. I will
go at once, and get the interview over; after which I can either return
here or ride to the wagon and make it my abode, as I have already done
for so many months."
"Nay," said Anuti, "you shall certainly not do that. There is ample
room in this house for you, and so long as you remain in Masakisale you
must consent to be my most welcome and honoured guest."
So it was arranged; and then, after a little further conversation, and
reiterated warnings to be on my guard against every possible description
of machination on the part of the queen, I mounted and rode back to the
palace at a hand gallop, determined to get through what was certain to
be a very unpleasant business forthwith. As 'Mfuni came out, at my
approach, to receive my horse, I bade him walk the animal to and fro,
instead of unsaddling him, and hold himself ready to accompany me to new
quarters upon my reappearance. Then, entering the palace, I made my way
straight to the queen's apartments, and sent in a message craving an
immediate interview.
I was admitted at once, and found Her Majesty occupying her usual seat
upon the divan. At my entrance she dismissed her attendants; and, as
soon as we were alone, invited me by a gesture to seat myself at her
side. But I declined, saying that, as my interview would be but brief,
I preferred to stand.
"Nay, Chia'gnosi," she returned, "it will not be so brief as you appear
to think; therefore sit, I pray you, if not by my side, then opposite
me, for it wearies me to see you standing. That is well!"--as I drew up
an ottoman and seated myself upon it.
Bimbane kept silence for a short time, resting her chin upon her clasped
hands and regarding me with an inexpressibly mournful expression; and as
I returned her gaze I felt my anger against her dying away, and a great
pity for her taking its place in my heart. She looked so small, so
frail, so utterly helpless and lonely and miserable that all the innate
chivalry of my nature arose and clamoured that it was impossible she
could be guilty of the crimes imputed to her; that I had judged her
hastily and unfairly; that I had wronged her by lending a too ready ear
to her declared enemies; and that in deciding to forsake her I had been
guilty of a base and cowardly thing. Then a faint smile of dawning
triumph, which lighted up her eyes and irradiated her face, warned me of
my danger, warned me that again she was exercising her evil influence
upon me, and that I was fast succumbing to it; it reminded me of the
dreadful state of helplessness to which Anuti had been reduced by that
influence; and I pulled myself together and braced my mental powers to
meet and resist it. And as I did so the smile of triumph vanished from
her eyes, and was replaced by a gleam of malice and hatred so deadly
that although it was but momentary I recoiled in something that, if it
was not fear, was very closely akin to it. Yet I was glad that I had
caught that fleeting expression, for it reassured me; it afforded me a
transitory glimpse of the woman's true character, and taught me more
thoroughly, perhaps, than anything else could that Anuti and his friends
were right and justified in their denunciation of her character. And I
think she must have realised in that moment that she had betrayed
herself and lost her hold upon me, for when she spoke her voice was
harsh and bitter, and full of scornful anger.
"So, Chia'gnosi," she said, "you, to whom I extended a cordial welcome
to my kingdom, whom I made a general of my army, upon whom I heaped
benefits innumerable, even to the bestowal upon you of all the shining
stones I possess, and which you have so greatly craved--you whom I
deemed the very soul and embodiment of chivalry and honour and truth--
you have stooped so low as to clandestinely consort with my enemies, to
hearken to their slanderous tongues, to credit the base falsehoods about
me which they have poured into your ears; and now you have the assurance
to come to me with the purpose of telling me that I am so utterly vile
that even you, false and craven that you are, will no longer remain my
guest, from fear of contamination!"
"I don't quite know how you came by your information, unless it was by
means of your accursed magic," I said, "but in the main you are right.
There are one or two errors with regard to detail, such, for example, as
your reference to the `falsehoods' told me about you by Anuti and his
friends, and also with regard to my reason for quitting the palace.
But, after all, these discrepancies are really of no moment, and may be
allowed to pass. That which is of moment is the fact that I cannot
possibly remain any longer the guest of a woman who has been guilty of
such crimes as you have perpetrated, nor can I submit to the degradation
of retaining any of the gifts which I have accepted from you. I shall
leave them all in my rooms when I presently quit them; and my regret at
abandoning them will be much less than that which I shall always feel
since it has been my misfortune to have been brought into contact with
yourself, and thus to have learned beyond question that such women
sometimes actually exist."
"Oh, Chia'gnosi, you are cruel, bitterly cruel and unjust to say such
things to me!" she cried; and then, to my utter consternation, she burst
into a perfect passion of weeping, and again I felt my heart insidiously
softening and warming toward her, she looked so utterly woebegone, so
terribly helpless and friendless. But the moment that I became
conscious of the feeling I brought my will power to bear and
determinedly repressed it; although I confess that I never in my life
had a more difficult task than that which I battled with while Bimbane
proceeded to explain tearfully that although she had undoubtedly done
those deeds with which Anuti and his friends charged; her, she had been
compelled to do them in the interests of good government and for reasons
of state, and that if I would only listen to her explanation I would see
that they were capable of a very different interpretation from that put
upon them by her enemies.
And I listened--I will do myself the justice to say that I listened
patiently to the woman's attempt to exculpate herself by proving that
her crimes were really not crimes at all, but grim necessities of the
peculiar position which she occupied as ruler of a turbulent and restive
people. But, having steeled myself against the effect of her tears and
her pathetic assumption of helplessness, I was able instantly to detect
and draw her attention to the weak points of her defence; with the
result that at last, realising, I suppose, that she had lost her power
over me and that I was no longer to be cajoled, she suddenly abandoned
her efforts and flew into a furious passion, abusing me most abominably,
and heaping upon my head every opprobrious epithet that she could think
of--and she was able to think of a good many.
"And you are fool enough to think that after such treatment as I have
received at your hands I will let you go?" she shrieked in a perfect
frenzy of fury. "No, Chia'gnosi; you have humiliated me as I believe no
woman was ever before humiliated by a man, and since you have scorned my
friendship you shall learn what it means to incur my hate. See!" and
she flashed the ring on her thumb before my eyes. "By the power which
the possession of this stone confers upon me I slay all your cattle.
So! they are dead!" and she dashed her clenched right fist toward me.
"Now it is impossible for you to leave the country, unless you choose to
adventure into the wilderness without your wagon. But even that you
shall not do. You shall leave this palace, as you have determined, at
once, but it shall be to lodge in the cage next that occupied by the
captive man-monkeys; and as soon as I have disposed of Anuti and his
friends I will proclaim a festival, at which you and those of my enemies
who survive shall do battle with an equal number of the monkeys, for the
delectation and amusement of the people! Aha, Chia'gnosi, it will be a
rare sight to watch you, unarmed, fighting for your life against the
biggest and most savage man-monkey that my hunters can capture! Ha,
release me, brute! What would you do to me? Help--!"
Although I had not the smallest belief in the woman's power to destroy
my cattle by any alleged occult virtue pertaining to her wonderful ring,
the sight of it flashed before my eyes in so provocative a manner
reminded me of my almost forgotten promise to Siluce to take the jewel
from Bimbane, if I could; and, exasperated at last beyond endurance by
her abuse and threats, I sprang to my feet, seized her right hand in
mine, and, while I stifled her cries for help with my left, drew the
ring from her thumb and thrust it upon my own little finger, animated by
some sudden impulse for which I could not in the least account.
And as the ring passed from her possession into mine, the change that
occurred in us both was startling in the extreme, particularly so as
regarded Bimbane. For a few seconds after I released her she remained
absolutely silent and motionless, as though scarcely able to realise
what had happened; then, instead of summoning her guards and handing me
over to their custody, she instantly became abjectly apologetic and
pleading, entreating me to restore her ring in exchange for anything and
everything that I might choose to demand. She offered me gold and
diamonds without limit, perfect liberty to remain in the country as its
honoured guest as long as I pleased, and all the help I might need in
the transport of my spoils when it should please me to start upon my
return journey; in short, she gave me clearly to understand that I need
set no limits upon my demands if I would but restore the ring to her.
But as for me, the moment that I slipped the jewel upon my finger I
became conscious of a strange, new, exhilarating sense of power, of
ability to do things, of being generally complete master of the
situation; and I determined that I would keep the ring, if for no other
reason than that Bimbane seemed to attach such an extraordinary value to
it, and to require its restoration so badly. I therefore left her at
last, quite exhausted with her fruitless entreaties, and doubled up in a
little, shapeless, miserably sobbing heap on the divan; and as I went
forth from the apartment I summoned her waiting women and directed them
to go in and attend to the queen, as I feared that Her Majesty was
unwell.