an's feet, slipped to her knees and caught the wrinkled old
hands in her own. "So why should the little girl not be happy with my
son, who is the finest man and dearest son ever born to woman? Tell me
what difference is there? Why should my son be made unhappy? Tell me!"

She knew perfectly well. Her son's words on the roof of his dwelling
under the stars were ringing in her ears; but she was hanging on to a
very forlorn hope with both hands, tricking herself with the thought
that, out of her love for her, the wise old woman might see things in a
different light and give her consent to the marriage just because the
man was her son.

But the old woman caught the mother to her breast and stroked the
golden head and kissed it with a world of pain in her sad old eyes.

"Because, dear," and the words were very gentle and the voice was very
soft, "just because, when we love, we think of ourselves only, and not
of those to come."

The old woman sighed as Jill raised her head sharply: "Try to
understand, little one. You, my dear, a white woman, married a
pure-bred Arab. Ah! my, dear, my dear, forgive me, your son is------"

Jill sprang to her feet, and as she sprang caught the rope of pearls
upon the arm of the chair, breaking it and scattering the jewels to the
four corners of the room.

She flung out her hands, making the Eastern sign to scare away evil
spirits. "The omen!" she whispered. "The omen! A broken string of
pearls means--means--death."

"Come, come, child," said the old lady sharply, and to allay the
unsightly terror in the other's face, and also because she believed in
using an axe in felling a tree, repeated her last remark. "You are
suffering now through the selfishness of love. Women who marry without
giving a thought to the result of the marriage, to the good or the harm
it might bring to the children of that marriage, deserve to suffer.
Marry the man, if you really love him and can help him by being his
wife; but let there be no children if there is anything in the union
that might hurt them." She rose and crossed to the girl who was
standing staring into a corner of the room, with a world of horror in
her eyes. She moved back as the old woman, came towards her, holding
out her hands as though to ward off some evil thing she saw in the
shadows.

"I can't bear it," she whispered; "I can't bear it. I don't believe
that anyone, could think _that_ of Hugh. Remember how loved he was at
Ha