tifying to find that her beauty alone was talked of while not a word was said about our's, and we resolved, if possible, to counteract every endeavour that the Caliph should make to behold her. is quite enough for her,' we used to say to ourselves, to have deprived us of Ali Buja's love; it would be beyond all endurance should she likewise captivate the Caliph's heart.'

So saying, she beat her breast and tore the hair, that streamed about her shoulders, but more, as it seemed, in rage than in repentance. Presently she

resumed

"Alas! my companions and I were once as beautiful as we were happy, and we were the beloved wives of one of Bagdad's wealthiest merchants. But why should I recal the memory of a happiness past never to return? Let me sooner hasten on to describe how we have fallen into our present misery, and steep myself in tears at the sound of my own sad narrative."

Again the speaker paused as if overcome. Ali Buja, who felt singularly interested by this preamble, and struck by the tones of her voice, now examined her countenance more attentively. The tones were those of Cypress-waisted; even the figure corresponded exactly to hers, yet the frightful face seemed to give the lie to such a supposition. Ali Buja almost held his breath with attention as she continued

"Vanity and envy, those two worst enemies of mankind, have worked our downfall. Had we not listened to their suggestions we should still be the peerless beauties we once were called, instead of the hideous hags we now are, loathsome alike to ourselves and to each other. But it was the will of fate that our husband should marry a fourth wife, whom he loved more tenderly than ourselves, and this was the true source of all our misfortunes and discontents. It chanced that while Ali Buja had gone to visit the holy city, the fame of Safy's beauty had reached the Caliph, and his curiosity to behold her became so irrepressible that there was no disguise to which he was not ready to descend in order to attain this object. To myself and my two companions it was somewhat mor

lover was to conceal himself in the garb of a slave to see her pass by as she went to the baths, we sent a large bribe to Fatima, with the promise that if she consented to favour our plans she might reckon on another present of money and jewels to a considerable amount. After some hesitation she consented, and it was agreed that we should all three go, and the Caliph was to be told that the one he wished to see was amongst us, and that he would soon recognize her by her superior beauty. Thus we were to take an equal chance of captivating him, each of us perhaps feeling persuaded that the victory could not fail of being her own. It occurred to us, however, in the midst of these triumphant anticipations, that if ever our deceit came to light, or if unfortunately the Caliph ever obtained the wished-for sight of Safy, we should be undone; for we knew that her beauty was reckoned superior to our's, and how indeed could it be otherwise when she possessed a talisman that could renovate her bloom at pleasure? We expressed our fears to the trusty slave who managed all our concerns for us, and asked her advice. After a moment's hesitation she replied: Possess yourselves, either by force or by stratagem, of that invaluable pot of ointment, and all your wishes will be fulfilled. Your beauty will increase, and her's, by remaining stationary, must soon become inferior to yours."

"We felt the truth of this, though we did not clearly see how it was to be accomplished, particularly as Safy always kept the ointment locked up; and moreover seldom left her apartment. But our cunning slave quickly came to our assistance. She had a wonderful talent for reading one's thoughts, and for saying the very thing one would least have ventured to give tongue to; and thus she persuaded us that Safy's death was essential to our well being, and to the success of all our schemes :- For,' said she, setting aside the

6

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"That is all provided against,' said the Vizier, and need give you no uneasiness. You have nothing to do but to submit to fate, and to thank the Prophet for having assigned you so glorious a destiny.'

"That same day we were removed to the palace. A firman was issued throughout the city, ordering every one to consider Ali Buja as a dead man, and forbidding even his relations to recognize him, on pain of death, should he return. His treasures were then secured, his house was razed to the ground, his slaves were sold, with the exception of the one who had been the instrument of our exaltation, and we were married to the Caliph. All these events succeeded each other with a rapidity that was quite astounding, and within a few hours we found ourselves raised, from the simple wives of a merchant, to the beloved and pampered Sultanas of the Commander of the Faithful. Secured from all further dread about Ali Buja's return, and of his discovering the share we had had in the death of Safy, we now felt quite intoxicated with the grandeur that surrounded us. Not only had we taken revenge on Ali Buja for his neglect, but we had triumphed over all the beauties that filled the Sultan's harem, and we reigned with a despotic sway over every person around us. There was not a wish so extravagant that any one of us could express, but what it was gratified that very instant. We each had a suite of apartments allotted to us, fitted up with every luxury that the ingenuity of man could invent; to alter and refurnish these was our constant delight and amusement. Sometimes we took a pleasure in outvying each other in the splendour of our decorations-the magnificence of yesterday was no longer considered fit for to-day, and all the artificers of the palace were set to work to devise new patterns and new combinations to meet our thirst for novelty and gorgeousness. At other times it was the dresses of our slaves that engaged our attention, and we loaded them with the costliest habits, while our own attire was most studiously simple; in short, there was no end to our freaks of this kind, and the best of all was that no one seemed to grow tired of ministering to our fancies, and that a word or a look commanded the most abject submission to every passing whim. Our life at that time was one continued, splendid dream. Why were we doomed ever to awaken from it?

"I have said that we retained in our service the black slave who had so cunningly brought about this change in our lot. Not only had we loaded her with presents, but she had an apartment to herself, and in short had every reason to be grateful for the share she was allowed to take in our good fortune. Yet, with a perversity almost unparalelled, she was always repining at what we had not done, instead of thanking us for what we had conferred upon her; which might serve as a lesson to all those who receive services from their slaves, that it is hopeless ever to expect to remunerate them according to their expectations. Would that we had sold her with the other slaves of Ali Buja's household, and put it out of her power to influence our destiny any further! The ungrateful creature took it into her head that she was to be permitted to imitate us in all our fancies, and

because her demands became at length so exorbitant that we were obliged to check her, and occasionally even to refuse her money, she replied first with taunts, and then with positive threats that she would reveal everything to the Caliph. To purchase her silence we finished by making a compromise, and judging by our submission that she had us completely in her power, she grew every day more and more insolent and exacting. This woman was like the thorn amongst roses, or the sting of conscience that rankles in a guilty bosom ; the sight of her was perpetually reminding us that there is no happiness without alloy. Our quarrels grew more and more frequent, and at last her temper, at all times irritable, was wrought up into a paroxysm of rage at our peremptorily refusing to comply with some new extravagance that had entered her brain, and she vowed by all the powers holy and unholy that she would be revenged. Probably she fancied that after a few hours' reflection we should send for her, and deprecate her ill-humour by a forced compliance with her wishes; but this time she was deceived, and she was left to brood at leisure over her sinister designs, while we resolved amongst ourselves that we would endure this subjection no longer, and gave orders for her being sold on the following day. Somehow or other she got wind of our intention, and instead of imploring our mercy she found her way to the Caliph, and told him that if he would promise to prevent our harming her, she could reveal to him

a secret that he would be astonished to hear. The Caliph, without a moment's hesitation gave her the promise she required, and bid her explain her meaning more clearly. She then drew forth Safy's slippers, (which, for reasons best known to herself she had taken especial care to preserve ever since the day the slave brought them back) and asked the Caliph whether he had ever seen so small a foot. The Caliph replied he had not, and that he concluded they could not belong to a woman, but to some child of tender years.

"No,' replied the black slave, they belonged to a woman, and that woman as much more beautiful than the three wives of Ali Buja as this slipper is smaller than your own.'

"The Caliph, much surprised, kept asking her further questions, and then she related to him how we had caused Safy to be put to death out of jealousy of her beauty, dilating at the same time on the exquisite charms of our rival, which she represented more like those of a Houri than a mortal woman. The Caliph was indignant, not so much at the deed we had done, as because it deprived him of another beautiful Sultana; yet so great was his love for us that he could not find in his heart to upbraid us for what had passed. His ill will fell entirely on the revealer of our crime, though he little suspected how far she had participated in it. For the present however be contained himself, and giving her a reward he dismissed her, saying that he would keep the slippers himself, and moreover he immediately dispatched a messenger to us to say that we were by no means to sell our black slave, and that it was his pleasure that she should be removed to another part of the palace, to wait on some of his other wives. This message astounded us; we concluded it was the

ointment, that is so necessary to obtain, you will thus rid yourselves once for all of a rival who is perpetually harassing your spirits, and is the cause of all the petty vexations you are daily enduring.' "At first indeed we were shocked at this proposal, and rejected it with horror. By degrees, however, we were induced to consider the matter more calmly, and it gradually appeared less heinous to us. In short, we grew to think that it was our only means of taking revenge both on our rival and on Ali Buja for preferring her. But then,' said Star of the Morning, how shall we account for her death to Ali Buja?'

"Leave all that to me,' said our tempter, 'nothing is easier than to invent a plausible fable of her having fallen ill and died of grief for his absence. Besides it is a folly to seek too much into futurity.'

"By arguments such as these all our fears were at length entirely lulled, and we determined on Safy's death. To this end we sent to request her to come into our apartment, and making a great show of friendliness, and pretending to be very sorry for our former dissensions, we overloaded her with sweatmeats and caresses. The simplehearted Safy believed every word we said, and wept for joy at our unexpected kindness; meantime we had not forgotten to mix a strong narcotic in the sherbet that was presented to her, nor was it long before the effects became visible, and she fell fast asleep.

"We now called in a slave, whom we had bribed for the purpose, and who, after tying her hands together, took her up in his arms and carried her away. He was to take her to the nearest forest, kill her, and hide the body, and bring us back her slippers as a proof that he had fulfilled his errand.

The moment she was out of the house we once

more felt ourselves the mistresses of it; and much rejoiced at the decisive measures we had adopted, we flew to her room, and breaking open every box or chest that we could lay our hands upon, we at length found the treasure we so coveted, and for which we had sacrificed her life. Nothing could exceed our transports at the sight of the pot of ointment; indeed, we had nearly broken it to pieces in our eager attempts to wrest it from each other's hands, and only desisted at the sight of the malicious merriment of our black slave, who repeatedly ejaculated, Division is weakness union alone is strength !'

"After the first tumult had a little subsided, and we had each spread a certain quantity over our cheeks, and looked in our glasses and asked one another a hundred times whether any improvement was discernible, we agreed to leave the pot in the custody of Star of the Morning, as it was she who had first found it, on the express condition that it was never to be used by her (or indeed by any of us) when alone; but that we should assemble every day to partake of its contents at the same time, and in exactly the same quantities.

"At the end of a day or two the slave returned, and, kneeling before us, he laid Safy's slippers at our feet.

"Are our orders fulfilled?' we enquired.

"By this token they are,' he replied, and Safy is dead!'"

At this part of the narrative Ali Buja could with difficulty suppress the cries of anguish that were ready to force their way through his lips. But the wish of hearing the iniquitous story to an end, and the hope of taking revenge on the cruel perpetrators of so black a deed, made him endeavour to master his feelings sufficiently to listen to what followed.

"She is dead!' he continued, "but conscience is a sting that dies not, and my repentance has already begun.'

"So saying, he clasped his hands and began to exhibit such violent symptoms of remorse that we were quite exasperated, and wishing to get rid of his presence at any price, we made over to him a casket of jewels, on the condition of his quitting Bagdad instantly, never to return. The offer was gladly accepted, and he immediately disappeared. As to ourselves we felt no remorse whatever on the subject, and we were so taken up with our increasing beauty that we had not time to think of anything else. As soon as we were convinced that our charms were quite irresistible, we sent word to Fatima that we were coming to the baths on the following day, and she on her part lost no time in apprizing the Vizier of our intention. When we sallied forth with our retinue of slaves, all attired in costly habits, only exceeded in magnificence by our own attire, nothing could equal the admiration of all who saw us pass. There go the rich wives of Ali Buja,' said one, The Houris on earth!' said another. Alas! such praises appeared then so natural, that we scarcely took the least account of them. When we reached the baths we entered handsome black slaves, gorgeously dressed. Star one after another, each of us attended by two lastly myself; and we took care to throw back our of the Morning went first, then Gazelle-eyed, and veils, and speak to the slave on our right as we passed by the door, behind which we knew the Caliph was concealed. No sooner had the Comthan he declared that there were three beauties mander of the Faithful caught sight of our faces instead of one. Never, said he, in all his life had he looked upon such loveliness; and, after giving Fatima a costly ring that he had on his finger, and telling her that he owned himself wrong in having disbelieved her, he returned home precipitately to

concert with his Vizier on the measures that were about our removal to his palace. The next day to be taken, or rather to give him positive orders the Vizier came to our house, and demanded admittance in the Caliph's name. We drew our veils over our faces and allowed him to enter. He immediately prostrated himself before us, and after speaking of our incomparable beauty, and of the impression it had made on his master, he told us that we were to prepare to follow him to the palace, and that we were no longer to consider ourselves as the wives of Ali Buja, from whom we were forthwith to be divorced and to be married to the Lord of the True Believers. But,' said we, concealing our inward satisfaction at this news, how is this to be effected during Ali Buja's absence? How do we know that he will consent to it?'