‘There!—dost thou see, Khan? dost thou see? They come, by Alla!’ the latter whispered.
‘Where, Jaffar? where? I see them not.’
‘No, I was cheated! they turned off; they cannot be yonder—they would go to the door at once.’
The Khan breathed again. He was standing with Jaffar at the corner of a street, nearly opposite Kasim’s abode; they were in the deep shadow of a high wall, and could not well be observed. The poor Khan panted and gasped for breath; his soul was on fire; revenge burned there, and suspicion of wrong. Sometimes during the day he thought he would fly to Ameena and implore her forgiveness—implore her to remain—throw himself at her feet and kiss them. Then again his passion arose at the thought that she should have been false—so false to have used so long a deception, as to have estranged him from her—driven him to another. Above all his revenge burned against Kasim Ali; his son he had fondly called him—his adopted—who would have inherited his wealth—he for whom he had been ever anxious. It was a base return to make, to seduce from him the tender being whom he had so long loved. But his thoughts were incoherent—a chaos of wild passion; he could not reason—he did not attempt it. Proof of their guilt was all he looked for, and often he prayed to Alla that it might not come. There was one spot on which his gaze was steadfast—the angle of the street which led into that where was Kasim’s abode. He looked neither right nor left, nor up to the glorious planet that sailed on in her sea of deep azure, but straight on, sometimes clearly, sometimes dimly; and then he would fiercely dash away the tears which arose unconsciously to his eyes.
‘Look! look! Khan,’ said Jaffar in a hoarse whisper; ‘again two figures! and now a man! see! he’s fat—’tis her brother! And one leads the other on. Oh the vile one, thus to pander to a man—her nose should be cut off! She hesitates, by Alla! the other drags her in—no—she stops—the cook passes on—shall I cut him down?’
‘Ameena!’ gasped the Khan in a low husky voice, stretching his arms out to her; ‘Ameena, enter not!—away, home!—pass on!—anything—’tis his door—’tis the Patél’s—thou hast no business there! thou hast—She hears not—Ya Alla kureem; she hath gone in of her own accord, and firmly.’
He had only spoken in a hoarse whisper, but he thought he had shouted those broken sentences.
‘Art thou satisfied, Khan? am I thy friend now?’ said Jaffar in a tone of triumph. ‘Wilt thou see more?—follow, the door is open; softly, thou shalt see all; thou knowest the place; they will be in the inner room. Come, come! thou mayest yet prevent it.’
‘Prevent what?’ said the Khan abstractedly. He was bewildered; he could hardly speak, his mouth was so parched.
‘Come and see! come! we may be late.’ And Jaffar seized his arm and dragged him across the road; the door was ajar; they entered.