torious.

The two heroes exchanged greetings when they met, and returned
together to the pleasure-house. Ali conducted the sub-seraskier into
the inner apartments; the attendants remained outside.

A richly spread table awaited them, and they were waited upon by a
group of young odalisks, the hand-maidens of Eminah, who sat at Ali's
feet on the left-hand side, and, as usual, tasted of every dish and
cup before she gave it to Ali.

Pleasant conversation filled the intervals of the repast, and at the
end of it a mess of preserved pistachios was brought in and presented
to Mehemet Pasha.

"I thank thee," said he, "and, indeed, I am very fond of them, but
piquant, hot-spiced meats always awaken within me sinful desires and a
longing for wine which is forbidden by the Prophet, and, as a good
Mussulman, I would rather avoid the occasion of sinning than suffer
the affliction of a late repentance."

Ali laughed aloud.

"Eat and be of good cheer, valiant seraskier," said he, "and set thy
mind at rest. What I give thee shall be wine and yet not wine--the
juice of the grape, yet still unfermented; 'tis an invention of the
Franks. This the Prophet does not forbid.[12] I have still got a case
of bottles thereof, which Bunaberdi[13] formerly sent me, and we will
now break it open in thy honor. Truly fizz is not wine, but only the
juice of the grape which they bottle before it becomes wine. It is as
harmless as milk."

[Footnote 12: The Moslems do not include French "fizz" amongst the
canonically forbidden drinks.]

[Footnote 13: Bonaparte.]

Mehemet shook his head and laughed, from which one could see that the
proposition was not displeasing to him, whereupon Ali beckoned to the
odalisks to fetch the bottles from the cellar.

Eminah, all trembling, bent over him and whispered, imploringly, "Oh,
put not wine on thy table; it will be dangerous to thee!"

Ali smiled, and stroked his wife's head. He thought that only
religious scruples made her dissuade him from drinking the wine, so he
drew her upon his bosom and began to reassure her.

"Say now, my one and only flower, is not Moses a prophet, like unto
Muhammad?"

"Of a truth he is. His tent stands beside the tent of Muhammad in the
Paradise of the true Believers."

"And yet Moses said: Give wine to them that be sorrowful! Leave the
matter then to the two prophets up above there; surely, what passes
thorough our lips does not make us sin?"

But that was not the rea