He went on at length to tell her of the precise degree of her folly, but she cut in, stemming his protestation in full flow.
“These are idle words that but delay me.”
“To thy purpose then, in Allah’s name, that thus thou mayest depart the sooner.”
She came to it straight enough on that uncompromising summons. She pointed to Rosamund. “It concerns that slave,” said she. “I sent my wazeer to the sôk to-day with orders to purchase her for me.”
“So I had supposed,” he said.
“But it seems that she caught thy fancy, and the fool suffered himself to be outbidden.”
“Well?”
“Thou’lt relinquish her to me at the price she cost thee?” A faint note of anxiety trembled in her voice.
“I am anguished to deny thee, O Fenzileh. She is not for sale.”
“Ah, wait,” she cried. “The price paid was high—many times higher than I have ever heard tell was given for a slave, however lovely. Yet I covet her. ’Tis a whim of mine, and I cannot suffer to be thwarted in my whims. To gratify this one I will pay three thousand philips.”