Page:Marion Crawford - Khaled.djvu/87

 'He paid a thousand and five hundred sequins for her, for she was brought from Georgia,' said another. 'But I am a free woman, and myself the daughter of an emir.'

Then all the others began to scream.

'It is a lie,' they cried. 'Your father was a white slave from Syria.'

'You are fools,' retorted the woman who had spoken. 'You should have said that you were also free women and the daughters of emirs. So our lord would have treated you with more consideration.'

The others saw their folly and were silent and drew back, but Khaled only smiled.

'As good mares are bred in the stable as in the desert,' he said, and the women laughed with him at the jest, for they saw that it pleased him.

But Almasta was silent and sat at his feet, looking into his face.

'You must learn to talk in Arabic,' he said, 'and then you will be able to tell stories of your native country to the Sultan, for he loves tales of travel.'

Almasta smiled and bent her head a little, but she did not understand all he said, being but lately come into Arabia.

'I will go with you,' she answered.

'Yes. You will go with me to Riad to the Sultan, and perhaps he will make you his wife, for he has none at present.'