“Whocansay，Lady？Butcertainlyitseemsthat/your/eyesarebrightandquickenough。Alsothereisanothermatter。Awhileago，whenthisshipcametoAlexandria，IsignedapapergivingleavetoacertaineyelessmusicianandhisniecetoplytheirtradeinEgypt。Thenthereweretwoofyou；nowIbeholdathird。Whoisthatcomelyladwithastainedfacethatstandsbesideyou？“
Heliodorebegansomestory，sayingthatshewastheorphansonofI
forgetwhom，andwhileshetolditcertainoftheMoslemsslippedpastme。
“Trulyyoushoulddowellinthesingingtrade，“interruptedtheofficerwithalaugh，“seeingthatforaboyyourvoiceiswondroussweet。Areyouquitesurethatyourememberyoursexaright？Well，itcaneasilybeproved。Barethatlad’sbosom，soldiers。Nay，’tisneedless；snatchoffthathead-dress。“
Amanobeyed，andHeliodore’sbeautifulblackhair，whichIwouldnotsufferhertocut，felltumblingtoherknees。
“Letmebe，“shesaid。“IadmitthatIamawoman。“
“Thatisgenerousofyou，Lady，“theofficeransweredinthemidstofthelaughterwhichfollowed。“Nowwillyouaddtoyourgoodnessbytellingmeyourname？Yourefuse？ThenshallIhelpyou？InthelateCopticwaritwasmyhappyfortunetwicetoseeacertainnoblemaiden，thedaughterofMagasthePrince，whomtheEmirMusaafterwardstookforhimself，butwhofledfromhim。Tellme，Lady，haveyouatwinsister？“
“Ceaseyourmockings，sir，“saidHeliodoredespairingly。“Iamsheyouseek。“
“’TisMusaseeksyou，notI，Lady。“
“Then，sir，heseeksinvain，forknowthaterehefindsIdie。Oh！
sir，Iknowyouhaveanobleheart；bepitifulandletusgo。I’lltellyouallthetruth。OlafRed-SwordyonderandIhavelongbeenaffianced。Blindthoughheis，hesoughtmethroughgreatdangers，aye，andfoundme。Wouldyoupartusatthelast？InthenameoftheGodwebothworship，andofyourmother，Iprayyouletusgo。“
“BytheProphet，thatIwoulddo，Lady，onlythenIfearmethatI
shouldletmyheadgofromitsshouldersalso。TherearetoomanyinthissecretforittobidetherelongifIdidasyoudesire。Nay，youmusttotheEmir，allthreeofyou——notMusa，buttohisrival，Obaidallah，wholoveshimlittle，andbythedecreeoftheCaliphonceagainrulesEgypt。BesurethatinamatterbetweenyouandMusayouwillmeetwithjusticefromObaidallah。Comenow，fearingnothing，towherewemayfindyouallgarmentsmorebefittingtoyourstationthanthosemummer’srobes。“
Soaguardwasformedroundus，andwewent。AsmyfeettouchedthequayIheardasoundofangryvoices，followedbygroansandasplashinthewater。
“Whatisthat？“IaskedofYusuf。
“Ithink，General，thatyourservantsfromthe/Diana/havesettledsomeaccountthattheyhadwiththedrunkendogwhowassogoodastobarkoutyournametome。But，withyourleave，Iwillnotlooktomakesure。“
“Godpardonhim！AsyetIcannot，“Imuttered，andmarchedon。
Westood，whetheronthatdayoranotherIdonotknow，insomehallofjudgment。Martinawhisperedtomethatasmall，darkmanwasseatedinthechairofstate，andabouthimpriestsandothers。ThiswastheEmirObaidallah。Musa，thathadbeenEmir，who，shesaid，wasfatandsullen，wastherealso，andwheneverhisglancefelluponHeliodoreI
felthershiveratmyside。SowasthePatriarchPolitianwhopleadedourcause。Thecasewaslong，solongthat，beingcourteousasever，theygaveuscushionstositon，also，inaninterval，foodandsherbet。
MusaclaimedHeliodoreashisslave。AnofficerwhoprosecutedclaimedthatAllahhavinggivenme，theirenemyandawell-knowngeneralwhohaddonethemmuchdamage，intotheirhands，Ishouldbeputtodeath。
Politianansweredonbehalfofallofus，sayingthatwehadharmednoman。HeaddedthatastherewasatrucebetweentheChristiansandtheMoslems，Icouldnotbemadetosufferthepenaltiesofwarinatimeofpeace，whohadcometoEgyptbuttoseekamaidtowhomIwasaffianced。Moreover，thatevenifitwereso，themurderofprisonerswasnotoneofthosepenalties。
TheEmirlistenedtoallbutsaidlittle。Atlength，however，heaskedwhetherwewerewillingtobecomeMoslems，sinceifsohethoughtthatwemightgofree。Weansweredthatwewerenotwilling。
“Thenitwouldseem，“hesaid，“thattheladyHeliodore，havingbeentakeninwar，mustbetreatedasaprisonerofwar，theonlyquestionbeingtowhomshebelongs。“
NowMusainterruptedangrily，shoutingoutthatastothistherewasnodoubt，sinceshebelongedtohim，whohadcapturedherduringhistenureofoffice。
TheEmirthoughtawhile，andwewaitedtrembling。Atlasthegavejudgment，saying:
“TheGeneralOlaftheBlind，whoinByzantiumwasknownasOlafRed-
SwordorasMichael，andwhowhileintheserviceoftheEmpressIreneoftenmadewaragainstthefollowersoftheProphet，butwhoafterwardslosthiseyesatthehandsofthissameevilwoman，isamanofwhomalltheworldhasheard。ParticularlyhaveweMoslemsheardofhim，seeingthatasgovernorofLesbosinrecentdaysheinflictedagreatdefeatuponournavy，slayingmanythousandsandtakingothersprisoner。ButasitchancesGod，WhobidesHistimetoworkjustice，setabaitforhimintheshapeofafairwoman。Onthisbaithehasbeenhooked，notwithstandingallhisskillandcunning，anddeliveredintoourhands，havingcomeintoEgyptdisguisedasabeggarinordertoseekoutthatwoman。Still，asheissofamousaman，andasatpresentthereisatrucebetweenusandtheEmpireoftheEast，whichtruceraisescertaindoubtfulpointsofhighpolicy，I
decreethathiscaseberemittedtotheCaliphHarun-al-Rashid，mymaster，andthathebeconveyedtoBaghdadtheretoawaitjudgment。
Withhimwillgothewomanwhomheallegestobehisniece，butwho，asweareinformed，wasoneofthewaiting-ladiesoftheEmpressIrene。AgainstherthereisnothingtobesaidsavethatshemaybeaByzantinespy。
“NowIcometothematteroftheladyHeliodore，whoisreportedtobethewifeortheloverortheaffiancedofthisGeneralOlaf，aquestionofwhichGodaloneknowsthetruth。ThisladyHeliodoreisapersonofhighdescentandancientrace。SheistheonlychildofthelatePrinceMagas，whoclaimedtohavethebloodoftheoldPharaohsinhisveins，andwhowithinthisyearwasdefeatedandslainbymypredecessorinoffice，theEmirMusa。ThesaidEmir，havingcapturedtheladyHeliodore，purposedtoplaceherinhisharem，ashehadarighttodo，seeingthatsherefusedtheblessingsoftheFaith。Asitchanced，however，sheescapedfromhim，asitistoldbystabbingtheeunuchinchargeofher。Atleastitiscertainthatthiseunuchwasfounddead，thoughbywhomhewaskilledis/not/certain。Nowthatshehasbeentakenagain，thelordMusaclaimsthewomanashisspoilanddemandsthatIshouldhandherovertohim。Yetitseemstomethatifsheisthespoilofanyone，shebelongstotheEmirgoverningEgyptatthedateofherrecapture。ItwasonlybyvirtueofhisofficeasEmir，andnotbygift，purchase，ormarriagecontract，thatthelordMusacameintopossessionofher，whichpossessionwasvoidedbyherflightbeforeshewasaddedtohishouseholdandheacquiredanynaturalrightsoverherinaccordancewithourlaw。Nowformypart，I，asEmir，makenoclaimtothiswoman，holdingitahatefulthingbeforeGodtoforceoneintomyhouseholdwhohasnowishtodwellthere，especiallywhenIknowhertobemarriedoraffiancedtoanotherman。Still，asherealsoareinvolvedhighquestionsoflaw，I
commandthattheladyHeliodore，daughterofthelatePrinceMagas，shallalsobeconveyedwithallcourtesyandhonourtotheCaliphHarunatBaghdad，theretoabidehisjudgmentofhercase。Thematterisfinished。Lettheofficersconcernedcarryoutmydecreeandanswerforthesafetyoftheseprisonerswiththeirlives。“
“Thematterisnotfinished，“shoutedtheex-EmirMusa。“You，Obaidallah，haveutteredthisfalsejudgmentbecauseyourheartisblacktowardsmewhomyouhavedisplaced。“
“Thenappealagainstit，“saidObaidallah，“butknowthatifyouattempttolayhandsuponthislady，myordersarethatyoubecutdownasanenemytothelaw。PatriarchoftheChristians，yousailforBaghdadtovisittheCaliphathisrequestinashipthathehassentforyou。IntoyourhandsIgivetheseprisonersunderguard，knowingthatyouwilldealwellwiththem，whoareofyourfalsefaith。ToyoualsowhohavetheCaliph’sear，Allahknowswhy，Iwillentrustlettersmakingtruereportofallthismatter。LetproperprovisionbemadeforthecomfortoftheGeneralOlafandofthosewithhim。Musa，mayyourgreetingsattheCourtofBaghdadbesuchasyoudeserve；
meanwhileceasetotroubleme。“
AtthedoorofthathallIwasseparatedfromHeliodoreandMartinaandledtosomehouseorprison，whereIwasgivenalargeroomwithservantstowaituponme。HereIsleptthatnight，andonthemorrowaskedwhenwesailedforBeirutonourwaytoBaghdad。Thechiefoftheservantsansweredthathedidnotknow。DuringthatdayIwasvisitedbyYusuf，theofficerwhohadcapturedusonboardthe/Diana/。Healsotoldmethathedidnotknowwhenwesailed，butcertainlyitwouldnotbeforsomedays。Further，hesaidthatIneedhavenofearfortheladyHeliodoreandMartina，astheywerewelltreatedinsomeotherplace。Thenheledmeintoagreatgarden，wherehesaidIwasatlibertytowalkwheneverIpleased。
Thusbeganperhapsthemostdreadfultimeofwaitingandsuspenseinallthislifeofmine，seeingthatitwasthelongest。EveryfewdaystheofficerYusufwouldvisitmeandtalkofmanymatters，forwebecamefriends。OnlyofHeliodoreandMartinahecouldorwouldtellmenothing，norofwhenweweretosetoutonourjourneytoBaghdad。
IaskedtobeallowedtospeakwiththePatriarchPolitian，butheansweredthatthiswasimpossible，ashehadbeencalledawayfromAlexandriaforalittlewhile。NorcouldIhaveaudiencewiththeEmirObaidallah，forhetoohadbeencalledaway。
Nowmyheartwasfilledwithterrors，forIfearedlestinthiswayorinthatHeliodorehadfallenintothehandsoftheaccursedMusa。I
prayedYusuftotellmethetruthofthematter，whereonhesworebytheProphetthatshewassafe，butwouldsaynomore。Nordidthiscomfortmemuch，sinceforaughtIknewhemightmeanshewassafeindeath。Iwasaware，further，thattheMoslemshelditnocrimetodeceiveaninfidel。Weekwasaddedtoweek，andstillIlanguishedinthisrichprison。Thebestofgarmentsandfoodwerebroughttome；I