Where he lived I know not.
It might have been Pera, or Galata, or Damascus. Nor can I tell you his
name, but that has nothing to do with the story. This merchant had an
only daughter whom he loved most dearly. She had ne'er a wish that was
not instantly gratified, and he guarded her as the very apple of his
eye. Not even the breath of Heaven was allowed to blow upon her."
"And know you not what the name of the maiden was?" inquired the
Berber-Bashi.
"Certainly, they called her Irene, for she was a Greek girl."
Janaki trembled at the word. No doubt the girl was about to relate her
own story, for Irene was the very name she had received at her baptism.
It was very thoughtless of her to betray herself in the presence of a
stranger.
"One day," continued the maiden, "Irene went a-rowing on the sea with
some girl friends. The weather was fine, the sea smooth, and they sang
their songs and made merry, to their hearts' content. Suddenly the sail
of a corsair appeared on the smooth mirror of the ocean, pounced
straight down upon the maidens in their boat, and before they could
reach the nearest shore, they were all seized and carried away captive.
"Poor Irene! she was not even able to bid her dear father God speed! Her
thoughts were with him as the pirate-ship sped swiftly away with her,
and she saw the city where he dwelt recede further and further away in
the dim distance. Alas! he was waiting for her now--and would wait in
vain! Her father, she knew it, was standing outside his door and asking
every passer-by if he had not seen his little daughter coming.
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