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strict seclusion of her chamber, the princess comes forth changed. Her eye again smiles, again she seems almost happy. Can it be? Have her prayers been heard? Is Heaven propitious? Has she found the night Al Kadr? Of great power is prayer. The angels stoop to listen, and with permission of their master, bring down the wished-for blessing. Of great power is prayer. It opens the gates of paradise. It brings peace from its high mansion to dwell in the hearts of the unfortunate. It strengthens, it sooths, it blesses. Mourner, be glad-murmurer, be still! There is a heaven replete with joys and blessings; there is a hand which from that high storehouse scatters them abundantly upon this earth. If they descend not at once upon your heads, be patient, be resigned. Even in the darkest hour, when hope seems farthest distant, light and relief may be most nigh.

During this time the calif had clothed himself in kindness. The bold demeanour and readiness of Giafar had shaken his master's belief of his disobedience; and the report of the hakim, and the testimony of Khatoun, sufficed to remove all jealousy from his mind. If any cloud of distrust darkened upon him, it was when he thought of the agitation which the prince exhibited during the confession of that sunfortunate girl, and the anxiety which he manifested for her fate. But with the moment vanished the anger and suspicion, and his mind welcomed with delight the return of past, yet not

VOL. II.-0

forgotten pleasures. The importunity of the physician Gabriel for the health of the princess his daughter had prevailed with the Commander of the Faithful, and he had given Giafar permission to retire with his wife from the crowded city to the seclusion of his summer gardens. He often heard tidings of her welfare; that she was still weighed down by sickness and gloom; yet when the summer came he visited her retirement, and found her freed in great part from that depression which had so long overshadowed her peace. She still wore the marks of sorrow upon her countenance, but they were fast vanishing. Her cheek was regaining its colour, her eye its brightness, and her sweet face its smiles. Well pleased was Haroun to behold this change. If a lingering fear yet hovered over him, it did not influence his demeanour, nor his feelings towards his children. The malice of fortune seemed, at last, exhausted, and, through very inconstancy, she again was kind.

At length the calif, for the seventh time, turned his face towards the holy city. His motive for the pilgrimage was not religion alone, though its duties were always pleasing to the monarch. It was his purpose to leave the succession to his three sons conjointly, and to this effect he had written his testament. He was desirous that the disposition which he had made of his kingdom should be known during his lifetime; and to ren

der it doubly sacred in the eyes of his subjects, he wished it published to the world under peculiar religious ceremonies. It was his intention to affix, with great solemnity, his testament to the wall of the sacred temple at Mecca, that pilgrims from all parts of Islam might there peruse it, and learn to hold it in reverence, as the will of the high priest of their faith; and that under circumstances well adapted to inspire them with veneration for their religion, and for him who stood in the place of its Blessed Author. His wish to do this was not the less, when he thought that the relation in which the prince stood to his family might one day give to the world a pretender to his crown, either in the person of Giafar himself, or of his offspring. He himself might soon be laid in the dust; and even if the prince had hitherto been obedient to his commands, yet when his own strong hand wielded not the sceptre, the temptation of a crown, superadded to that of love, might prove too powerful for his allegiance.

Sumptuous and splendid beyond the memory of former times, was this pilgrimage of Haroun al Raschid to the holy city. Troops of attendants, richly dressed, armed slaves on foot, mounted guards, composed an endless cavalcade; and a numerous band of grave imams, and doctors of the law, dignified the procession with their presence. Soft carpets were spread out over the waste of sand, upon which walked the calif and his sons,

surrounded by the principal officers of his household. Tempting fruits, refreshing drinks, and delicacies of every description, awaited the pilgrims at various stations on the road; and the rude Arab wondered to see the gorgeousness and splendour of cities strewn across the desert. Snow from the mountains cooled their sherbets and viands; and camels laden with it abundantly, bore that hitherto unknown luxury to the astonished inhabitants of Mecca. Pride and self-complacency mingled with piety in the monarch's bosom, as he thought upon his power, his pomp, and sacred duty, and journeying in all ease and safety, he slowly approached the holy city.

CHAPTER XIII.

Clasp me a little longer on the brink

Of fate! while I can feel thy dear caress;

And when this heart has ceased to beat, oh! think,
And let it mitigate thy wo's excess,

That thou hast been to me all tenderness,

And friend to more than human friendship just.

Oh! by that retrospect of happiness,

And by the hopes of an immortal trust,

God shall assuage thy pangs when I am laid in dust.

Gertrude of Wyoming

OUR readers must once more glance at the summer gardens of Prince Giafar. With the season had returned their loveliness. The river rolled by with its wonted celerity. The rose and henna were still denizens of that dear spot. Nature's melody was again heard, cheering those whose bosoms were untenanted by sorrow, but falling like bitter mockery upon the hearts of the careworn. There was the delightful kiosk-the zephyrs were breathing their sighs through the faintly resisting latticework, causing it to tremble as they entered. Within, enjoying their freshness and their music, was seated, as in times past, the Princess Abassa.

The flight of two years, and the anxieties which had crowded themselves into that eventful period, had somewhat changed her-had thrown, as it

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