me alone. I ought to have you impaled, and to feast my eyes
on your death agonies. That would be the smallest compensation for all
the years of degradation that I have been through, and which I owe to
you." "Mercy, Viteska! Mercy!" the wretched man cried, trembling all
over, and raising his hands to her in supplication.

The Odalisque's only reply was a laugh, in which rang all the cruelty of
an insulted woman's deceived heart. It seemed to give her pleasure to see
the man whom she had loved, and who had so shamefully trafficked in her
beauty, in his mortal agony, as he cringed before her, whining for his
life, as he clung to her knees, but at last she seemed to relent
somewhat.

"I will give your life, you miserable wretch," she said, "but you shall
not go unpunished." So saying, she clapped her hands, and four black
eunuchs came in, and seized the favorite's unfortunate husband and in a
moment bound his hands and feet.

"I have altered my mind, and he shall not be put to death," Sarema said,
with a smile that made the traitor's blood run cold in his veins; "but
give him a hundred blows with the bastinade, and I will stand by and
count them." "For God's sake," the merchant screamed, "I can never endure
it." "We will see about that," the favorite said, coldly, "and if you
die under it, it was allotted you by fate; I am not going to retract my
orders."

She threw herself down on the cushions, and began to smoke a long pipe,
which a female slave handed to her on her knees. At a sign from her the
eunuchs tied the wretched man's feet to the pole, by which the soles of
the culprit were raised, and began the terrible punishment. Already at
the tenth blow the merchant began to roar like a wild animal, but his
wife whom he had betrayed, remained unmoved, carelessly blowing the blue
wreaths of smoke into the air, and resting on her lovely arm, she watched
his features, which were distorted by pain, with merciless enjoyment.

During the last blows he only groaned gently, and then he fainted.

* * * * *

A year later the dealer was caught with his female merchandise by the
police in an Austrian town, and handed over to justice, when he made a
full confession, and by that means the parents of the _Odalisque of
Senichou_ heard of their daughter's position. As they knew that she was
happy and surrounded by luxury, they made no attempt to get her out of
the Pasha's hands, who, like a thorough Mus