Well dost thou know what was beneath this ring. Deadly venom was
beneath it. That venom is no longer there. The Sultana Asseki sends
thee her greeting, and wishes thee good luck in this war of thine. 'Hail
to thee!' she says, 'may thy guardian angels watch over all thy steps!'
The Sultana meanwhile has locked herself up in her private apartments,
and in the very hour in which thou quittest the Seraglio she will take
this poison, which she has dissolved in a goblet of water, and will
die."
The Sultan had all at once become very grave.
"Why didst thou trouble me with these words!" he exclaimed.
"I do but repeat the words of the Sultana, greatest of Padishahs. She
says thou art off to the wars, that thou wilt return no more, and that
she will not be the slave-girl of the monarch who shall come after thee
and sit upon thy throne."
"Wherefore dost thou trouble me with these words?" repeated the Sultan.
"May my tongue curse my lips, may my teeth bite out my tongue because of
the words I have spoken. 'Twas the Sultana that bade me speak."
"Go back to her and tell her to come hither!"
"Such a message, oh, my master, will be her death. She will not leave
her chamber alive."
For a moment the Sultan reflected, then he asked in a mournful voice:
"What thinkest thou?--if thy house was on fire and thy beloved was
inside, wouldst thou put out the flames, or wouldst thou not rather
think first of rescuing thy beloved?"
"Of a truth the extinguishing of the flames is not so pressing, and the
beloved should be rescued.
Pages:
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90