“And is that any reason why I should become his slave?”
“I am your guardian.”
“True, Uncle Ajeeb.”
“You ran away from me?”
“Yes, and was glad of the opportunity. In the world of the white man, women are looked up to and not downtrodden, as in our unhappy country.”
Ajeeb laughed ironically.
“You are not of age, and even the laws of this country will restore you to my possession,” he said.
Zulima shuddered. She had been taught to look up to this man and made to believe that his wisdom surpassed even that of the head sheik of Gondar.
“I would die rather than go back,” the girl said.
“You mean,” said Ajeeb, and his face became distorted with rage, “that you would die rather than leave this American.”