y evening clouds--of the flower
betrothed to the nightingale--of the geranium blazing in scarlet
beauty,--till, on approaching the place of promise, he caught a glance of
the maid he loved--and, lo! she sate there in the sunlight, absorbed in
thought; a book was on her knee, and at her feet lay the harp whose
chords had been for his ear so often modulated to harmony.

He laid his hand gently on her shoulder, as he seated himself beside her
on the steps; and seeing her sorrowful, he comforted her, and bade her be
of good cheer, saying, that Heaven would soon smile propitiously on their
fortunes, and that their present trials would but endear them the more to
each other in the days of after years. At length, with tears and sobs,
she told him of what she had learned; and, while they wept on each
other's bosoms, they vowed over the Bible, which Isabelle held in her
hand, to be faithful to each other to their dying day.

Meantime the miser was making preparations for the marriage ceremony, and
the father of Isabelle had portioned out his daughter's dowery; when the
lovers, finding themselves driven to extremity, took the resolution of
escaping together from the city.

Now, it so happened, in accordance with the proverb, which saith that
evils never come single, that, at this very time, the city of Damascus
was closely invested by a mighty army, commanded by the Caliph Abubeker
Alwakidi, the immediate successor of Mahomet; and, in leaving the walls,
the lovers were in imminent hazard of falling into their cruel hands;
yet, having no other resource left, they resolved to put their perilous
adventure to the risk.

'Twas the Mussulman hour of prayer Magrib: the sun had just disappeared,
and the purple haze of twilight rested on the hills, darkening all the
cedar forests, when the porter of the gate Keisan, having been bribed
with a largess, its folding leaves slowly opened, and forthwith issued a
horseman closely wrapt up in a mantle; and behind him, at a little space,
followed another similarly clad. Alas! for the unlucky fugitives, it so
chanced that Derar, the captain of the night-guard, was at that moment
making his rounds, and observing what was going on, he detached a party
to throw themselves between the strangers and the town. The foremost
rider, however, discovered their intention, and he called back to his
follower to return. Isabelle--for it was she--instantly regained the
gate which had not yet closed, but Dem