Page:The Slave Girl of Agra.djvu/280

 Persian lady is a great magician, and can read into the hearts of spirits and of men. And she said to the Eastern Chief that he was a true soldier and a true lover, but his heart was in the Far East."

Surprise and terror seized Noren as these strange words came out of the lips of the little urchin sitting at his feet. He looked again and again at the minstrel boy in the dim light of the lamp. Was he the poor innocent beggar boy that he looked? Did he know more than his lips had uttered? Did he commune with the spirits of the air, or learn the secrets from Jelekha herself?

The boy's innocent and inscrutable face told no secrets. He sat silent and humble, nursing his little harp, his only joy and companion on earth.

"Finish thy tale, Jamshid. Thou hast gone too far to stop short here. I would listen to the end."

"There is little more to tell, kind Master. The Eastern Chief vanished in a line of white smoke. Jelekha disappeared the same night from the palace. The chief eunuch was found in a pool of blood the next morning."

Noren could bear it no more. He walked out into the darkness of the night.

The night wind whistled over the bare rocks and through a few acacia trees scattered over the place. The silent stars shed a faint ray, making darkness visible. The sentries were at their posts at some distance from the tent. And from within the tent came a flood of music, such as Noren had never heard before from the minstrel boy.

The calm of the midnight had its effect. After