m the reader met in an early chapter at
the slave bazaar, and who bid to the extent of his means for Komel,
who was at last borne away by the Sultan's agent. He was well formed
and handsome, his undress uniform showing him to be attached to the
naval service of the Sultan. He might be four or five years her
senior, but though he appeared thus young, he seemed to have many
years of experience, with an unflinching steadiness of purpose
denoted in his countenance, showing him fitted for stern emergencies
calling for promptness and daring in the hour of danger. The story
of their love was easily told. While young Selim was yet a
lieutenant in the Sultan's navy, a caique containing Zillah and the
rich of Bey, her father, had met with an accident in the Bosphorus
while close by a boat which he commanded, and by which accident
Zillah was thrown into the water, and but for the officer's prompt
delivery would doubtless have been drowned. But with a stout
purpose, and being a daring swimmer, he bore her safely to the
shore.

With the suddenness of oriental passion they loved at once, but
their after intercourse was necessarily kept a secret, since they
knew full well that the Bey would at once punish them both if he
should discover them, for how could a Musselman tolerate a
Christian, and to this sect the young officer was known to belong.
They had met often thus, and by the ingenious device adopted in
Zillah's dress had avoided detection. But these stolen meetings, so
sweet, were fearfully dangerous to the young officer, the punishment
of his offence, if discovered, being death.

Finally, on one of these stolen excursions, Zillah was detained so
long as to cause notice and surprise in the harem, and when she
returned she was reprimanded by the Bey, who gave orders, that for
the future she should not be permitted to leave the garden walks of
the palace, and the poor girl pined like a caged wild bird. The
latticed balcony of Zillah's apartment, like many of the Turkish
houses, overhung the Bosphorus, so that a boat might lie beneath it
within a distance to afford easy means of communication, and thus
Selim still was able at times, though with the utmost caution, to
hold converse with her he loved so well.

But Zillah's susceptible and gentle disposition could not sustain
her present treatment. She loved the young officer so earnestly and
truly that it was misery to be deprived of his society as was now
the case, for even thei