cted back to his cell,
his mistress assuring him of her good-will, and promising to do all in
her power to make his captivity as light as possible.

CHAPTER XIV.

AN EFFORT FOR FREEDOM.

Two or three nights afterward the old woman again came to Cuthbert, and
asked him, in her mistress' name, if in any way he could suggest a
method of lightening his captivity, as his extreme youth and bravery of
demeanor had greatly pleased her.

Cuthbert replied that nothing but freedom could satisfy his longings;
that he was comfortable and not over-worked, but that he pined to be
back again with his friends.

The old woman brought him on the following night a message to the effect
that his mistress would willingly grant him his liberty, but as he was
sent to her husband by the sultan, it would be impossible to free him
openly.

"From what she said," the old woman continued, "if you could see some
plan of making your escape, she would in no way throw difficulties in
your path; but it must not be known that the harem in any way connived
at your escape, for my lord's wrath would be terrible, and he is not a
man to be trifled with."

Looking round at the high walls that surrounded the garden, Cuthbert
said that he could think of no plan whatever for escaping from such a
place; that he had often thought it over, but that it appeared to him to
be hopeless. Even should he manage to scale these walls, he would only
find himself in the town beyond, and his escape from that would be
altogether hopeless. "Only," he said, "if I were transported to some
country palace of the governor could I ever hope to make my escape." The
next night the messenger brought him the news that his mistress was
disposed to favor his escape in the way he had pointed out, and that she
would in two or three days ask the governor for permission to pay a
visit to their palace beyond the walls, and that with her she would take
a number of gardeners--among them Cuthbert--to beautify the place.
Cuthbert returned the most lively and hearty thanks to his patroness for
her kind intentions, and hope began to rise rapidly in his heart.

It is probable, however, that the black guards of the harem heard
something of the intentions of their mistress, and that they feared the
anger of the governor should Cuthbert make his escape, and should it be
discovered that this was the result of her connivance. Either through
this or through some other source the governor obta