"Thou seest now, my dear," observed Ali, gently, "what trouble thou mightest have saved thyself and me also." Then he beckoned to the eunuchs to remove the merchant.
So this was the way in which Ali made gold! A very simple sort of alchemy, certainly!
And now it was the turn of the second man. And a haughty, broad-shouldered fellow he was, who had regarded the torments of his comrade without moving a muscle of his face.
"Then thou wilt not tell me thy name, valorous warrior?" inquired Ali.
"I will tell thee thine—Devil, Belial, Satan!"
"I thank thee! Thou dost me too much honor. But it is thy name I should like to know. I suppose thou art some wealthy Venetian noble, whose whereabouts his kinsmen are rather anxious to discover, and who would not be ungrateful if any one sent thee back to them. For I value thee very highly."
"Know, then, that I am a rich noble, and that at home I have a palace and treasures, but not a para of my property shalt thou ever see, for I have taken poison. Dost thou not see the blue spots upon my hand? Presently thou wilt see them on my face. In five minutes' time I shall be dead."
And so indeed it fell out. The haughty noble died, while Ali, furious with passion, cursed the Prophet.
And Eminah, from her hiding-place, looked intently upon Ali's face. What must have been her thoughts at that moment?
The eunuchs removed the dead body, and Ali beckoned once more to them, whereupon they brought in through the opposite doors a wondrously beautiful damsel and a handsome youth. When the youth and the damsel beheld each other the tears gushed from their eyes. They were lovers, and lovers meet for each other.