"My foolish fancy, I suppose," she added, a few moments later, after she
had strained her ears to again catch the sounds that had alarmed her.
"Think! If we were betrayed! It would mean torture and death!" she
said hoarsely, and, disengaging herself from my arms, she walked quickly
over to the opposite wall, and, drawing aside a heavy curtain, reassured
herself that a door it concealed was securely bolted.
Returning, she flung herself upon her divan among her cushions and
motioned me to a seat beside her. Then, taking from the little
mother-of-pearl stool a box of embossed gold filled with cigarettes, she
offered me one, and, lighting one herself, reclined with her head thrown
back gazing up to me.
"We are more than friends, Ce-cil," she said presently, thoughtfully
watching the smoke that curled upward from her rosy lips. "I only wish
it were possible that I could leave this land and go to thine. Ah! If
thou couldst but know how dull and colourless is my life, how rapidly my
doom approaches--how horrible it all is!"
"What is this strange destiny that the Fates have in store for thee?" I
asked, mystified.
"Have I not already told thee that thy curiosity cannot be satisfied?"
"Yes. But I love thee," I protested. "Surely I may know the character
of any danger that threateneth?"
She shook her head, and, taking my hand, noticed upon my finger a plain
gold signet ring that had belonged to my father. Slowly she drew it off
and placed it upon her middle finger, saying, "I take this in
remembrance of to-night."
"But is there nothing I can do to avert this mysterious evil which thou
apprehendest?" I asked.
She did not reply. With her face turned towards the painted ceiling,
her dark, serious eyes gazed away into space. Her bare breast, with its
profusion of pearls and diamonds, heaved and fell as she breathed, and
the sweet odour of rose and geranium that pervaded her filled my
nostrils with intoxicating fragrance.
"Why canst thou not escape from here?" I continued. "If danger
threateneth, fly from it. I will assist thee. And is not Allah
merciful? He giveth life and death."
"_Hakk_," she replied. "Yet to leave this place unobserved would be
impossible. I have been able by a ruse to gain thine admittance here,
but any attempt to leave would only result in my death."
"Are not thy servants amenable to bribery?" I suggested.
"Alas! as they are my slaves, so are they my gaolers. They are charged
with my safe custody, and if I eluded their vigilance, they would pay
the penalty of their negligence with their lives. Ah! thou knowest not
the more terrible of the tortures practised by my people. Thou knowest
not the Ennitra. Soon I shall return again to the Ahaggar, and then the
Great Desert and the Atlas will separate us. For me escape is
impossible. Thou wilt go to thine own land ere many moons, and--and
forget me!"
"Never!" I exclaimed, vehemently.
"Thou wilt marry one of thine own women who have no prejudices, and who
may go unveiled, like those who come to Mustapha at Ramadan."
"No, Zoraida," I said; "I love only thee."
She gazed long and earnestly into my eyes, at the same time toying with
my ring.
"And thou art ready to serve me implicitly?" she inquired eagerly.
"I am. Command me."
"Then know, O Cecil, my life is at stake," she said, in a low, hoarse
whisper, drawing herself up with one arm still entwined tenderly about
my neck.
"Why art thou threatened?" I asked, in surprise.
"Because I--because I am guilty of a crime; I possess the secret of a
hidden marvel. Having dared to penetrate the hideous mysteries of
Eblis, one of them, undreamed of and astounding, hath been revealed unto
me. Its knowledge placeth in my hands a secret power that I might use
with fearful effect, but the awful curse hath now fallen upon me, and I
am doomed. Only thy willing assistance can save me. Yet"--and she
paused. "Yet I feel doubtful whether thou, a Roumi, wouldst dare to
undertake the mission that is necessary for my safety; whether thou
couldst place sufficient confidence in me to carry out instructions
which to thee may seem so extraordinary."
"I have perfect trust in thee," I said. "I am ready from this moment to
serve thee blindly, implicitly, if I can save thee and further the
prospect of our marriage."
"Marriage? No! no! Do not speak of it now," she exclaimed hastily.
"Hast thou never heard of the truth uttered by our Harikar al-Hakim, who
said, `Marriage is a joy for a month and a sorrow for a life, and the
paying of settlements, and the breaking of the back under a load of
misery, and the listening to a woman's tongue.' To thee I can promise
nothing, for my life may end at any moment."
"But thy death can be averted. How?"
"By rendering me assistance thou canst save me from the awful physical
and mental torture--from the horrors of the grave. Wilt thou consent to
become my secret agent?"
"Yes. I am ready to perform any task thou mayest require of me."
"Then remember the oath of secrecy thou didst take before Messoudia
brought thee hither; for, first of all, thou, trusting to thine own
Deity, must enter with me into the presence of the Great Unknown."
And as she touched a little silver gong, the great negro in handsome
blue livery, who had announced me, entered the harem and prostrated
himself before his mistress until his forehead touched the carpet; while
two houris, in clinging robes of white silk, entered bearing a great
gold bowl of sweet perfume in which Zoraida, with an imperious gesture,
washed her hands, and bade me follow her example.
"Thou wilt not be timid," she asked, "even though we go voluntarily
together to the very threshold of the grave; even though we may
peradventure taste of the horrors of death?"
"No," I replied, endeavouring to remain calm.
My nerves were strung to their highest pitch, and my heart beat quickly.
I stood breathless, watching one of the houris, who lit a small gold
lamp that burned with a thin blue flame. What, I wondered, was the
character of the strange scene I was about to witness? Zoraida, my
enchanting Pearl of the Harem, and I were going together voluntarily
into the presence of the Great Unknown!