FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   >>  
me day that I was, and went away to Salonica, and so I lost my dearest friend. IV. Mourad loved me, I think, more and more, and when a little son was born to us it seemed as though my cup of happiness was full. I had only one trouble: the knowledge of the hatred of my slaves; and after the birth of my little boy, that increased, for in the East, the only bond which makes a marriage indissoluble is the birth of a child. [Illustration: "SLAVES."] When our little son was a few months old Mourad went to spend a week with his father, who was then living at Beicos. I did not mind staying alone for a few days, as all my time was taken up with my baby-boy. I took entire charge of him, and would not trust anyone else to watch over him at all. * * * * * One night, when eleven o'clock struck, everything was silent in the harem; evidently everyone was asleep. Suddenly the door of my room was pushed open, and I saw the face of one of my slaves. She was very pale, and said in a defiant tone, "Fire, fire! The _conak_ (house) is on fire!" Then she laughed, a terrible, wild laugh it was too, and she locked my door and rushed away. Fire! Why, that meant ruin and death! I had jumped up immediately, and now rushed to the window. There was a red glow in the sky over our house and I heard the crackling of wood and saw terrible smoke. Nearly wild with fright I took my child in my arms, snatched up my case of jewels, and wrapping myself up in a long white _simare_, I hurried to the door. Alas! it was too true; the girl had indeed locked it! The window, with lattice-work outside, looked on to a paved court-yard, and my room was on the second floor of the house. I heard the cry of "_Yanghen var!_" (fire, fire) being repeated like an echo to my misery. "Oh, Allah!" I cried, "my child, my child!" A shiver ran through me at the horrible idea of being burned alive and not being able to save him. I called out from the window, but all in vain. The noisy crowd on the other side of the house, and the crackling of the wood, drowned the sound of my voice. I did my utmost to keep calm, and I walked again to the door and shook it with all my strength; then I went and looked out of the window, but that only offered us a speedy and certain death. I could now hear the sound of the beams giving way overhead. Had I been alone I should undoubtedly have fainted, but I had my child, and so I was obliged to b
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   >>  



Top keywords:
window
 

crackling

 

looked

 
locked
 

Mourad

 

rushed

 

terrible

 

slaves

 

Yanghen

 

hurried


simare

 
repeated
 

jewels

 
wrapping
 
fright
 

Nearly

 

lattice

 

snatched

 

speedy

 

offered


strength

 

walked

 

giving

 

fainted

 

obliged

 
undoubtedly
 

overhead

 

utmost

 

shiver

 

horrible


misery

 

burned

 
drowned
 

called

 

SLAVES

 

months

 

Illustration

 

indissoluble

 

marriage

 

staying


Beicos
 
living
 

father

 

friend

 

dearest

 
Salonica
 

hatred

 
increased
 
knowledge
 

trouble