lness and fairness may give delight to thee!
Drape the satin veil of deepest blue about the red glory of thy love's
hair, and bind a band of gold, set deep is sapphires, above the twin
pools of heaven, which are her eyes. Set turquoise, threaded with
finest gold, a-swing in the rose-leaf of her ears, to fall and wind
about the snow of her white neck.

"Fasten the blue flower which spies upon thee from the shelter of the
golden corn, within the glory of her hair.

"Perfume her hair and her breasts, anoint her hands and her feet, and
wrap thy delight in a garment of passion, sparing not the shades
therein, for in them shalt thou find thy delight.

"Let the garment be heavy with the gold of love, rich with the purples
of passion, aflame with the crimson of thy desire, forgetting not the
caress of the rose, nor the light mingling of opal and saffron, and the
faint touch of amethyst and topaz, in which shall _she_ find _her_
delight.

"Bind thy love with the broad bands of the setting sun so that she
cleaves unto thee, and carry her unto the twilight of thy tent, which
shall slowly darken until the roof thereof is swathed in purple gloom,
through which shall shine the stars of thy beloved.

"And there lie down in thy delight, until the hour of dawn calleth thee
to prayer."

The voice was stilled, whereupon Jill lifted her face bathed in rosy
colour, which might or might not have been the reflection from the sky,
whilst her red mouth quivered ever so slightly, and her great blue eyes
looked for a moment into those of the man, and as quickly looked away.

So seductive was she in her youth and utter helplessness that the man
stepped back two paces, and saluting her for whom his whole being
craved, gathered his cloak about him and departed to his tent.

And Jill also entered her tent, and having earlier and under the lash
of terror departed therefrom in blind haste, stood amazed.

She had imagined a mattress, a rug, an earthenware basin on the ground,
and sand over everything, and on the top of the sand scorpions,
spiders, and all that creepeth and flieth both by day and by night.
Not at all.

A carpet of many colours stretching to the corners of the desert tent,
which is not peaked like the European affair, into which you crawl
fearing to bring the whole concern about your ears, when if you should
be over tall you hit the top with your head. It was as big as a
fair-sized room, high enough for a man of over six fee