ess, "O Smaragdine!
Smaragdine!"

The children collected about him, and first one and then another of
them entreated him to tell his story. He did so, and whoever heard him
pitied him. After he had in this way gone through the whole town, he
happened to see an old woman of his acquaintance sitting at her door,
and saluted her respectfully. The old lady, being knowing in such
matters, perceived at once the symptoms of a desolate lover, and asked
him the reason of his distress. He told her all, and she said to him,

"I am very much grieved for your case, my son; but take courage. I
certainly think my assistance will be of much advantage to you. Go
hence immediately, buy one of the bread-baskets in which the hawkers
carry their loaves about, and put a few articles of female attire in
it. I undertake to go about with the wares, and I flatter myself you
will ere long hear some tidings of Smaragdine."

Alischar was out of himself with joy even at this small glimpse of
hope; he covered the hand of the old dame with tears and kisses, and
forthwith fetched her what she had asked for. She made herself ready
without delay to commence her operations, and in the course of her
wanderings came, after no long space of time, to the very house of
Beschadeddin.

She happened to enter at a moment when the female slaves of the house
were misusing poor Smaragdine.

"And what," says she, "has the poor child done to you that you should
treat her so roughly?"

"In truth," they answered, "we do what we do against our own
inclination, but we must obey our master's orders."

"Not when he is from home, surely," says the old woman again; "do have
a little pity. Oblige me so far as to unbind this unfortunate, and
refresh her a little with some food."

The slave-girls, whose hearts were by no means destitute of
sensibility, loosed her bands, and left her for a moment alone with
the old woman. She made good use of the happy occasion, told her in
whose name she had come, and said that if she would take care to be at
the window exactly at midnight, Alischar would be there at that
moment, when she might easily drop upon his shoulders and regain her
freedom. With this she hies away to Alischar to make him acquainted
with her success. She assured him that Beschadeddin being from home,
the slaves had promised to leave Smaragdine unbound for that one
night, and he needed not many words to make him undertake the
adventure.

He was at the appointed