"
"I am listening, my gazelle," replied the Arab, who sat down on a rug
and crossed his feet after the Oriental manner.
"There arrived here to-day a kind of philosopher," she began, "he
professes to have compiled a book which describes all the wiles of
which my sex is capable; and then this sham sage made love to me."
"Well, go on!" cried the Arab.
"I listened to his avowal. He was young, ardent--and you came just in
time to save my tottering virtue."
The Arab leaped to his feet like a lion, and drew his scimitar with a
shout of fury. The philosopher heard all from the depths of the chest
and consigned to Hades his book, and all the men and women of Arabia
Petraea.
"Fatima!" cried the husband, "if you would save your life, answer me
--Where is the traitor?"
Terrified at the tempest which she had roused, Fatima threw herself at
her husband's feet, and trembling beneath the point of his sword, she
pointed out the chest with a prompt though timid glance of her eye.
Then she rose to her feet, as if in shame, and taking the key from her
girdle presented it to the jealous Arab; but, just as he was about to
open the chest, the sly creature burst into a peal of laughter. Faroun
stopped with a puzzled expression, and looked at his wife in
amazement.
"So I shall have my fine chain of gold, after all!" she cried, dancing
for joy.
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