human
Thine harsh words wound more deeply than thy blows,
gpt
By my beard, wench! thou art verily the off-scum of Eblis, upon whom the mercy of the One Merciful can never rest! Thou hidest in thine heart secrets, and refusest to tell me that which I demand. I will degrade thee, woman, to the meanest slavery; thou shalt wash the feet of those who have been thy slaves. Though thou art a beauteous damsel--a houri fitted for the Sultan of the Ahir--thou--
human
Hast thou lived thy threescore years, and failed to discover that sometimes the face is not an index to the mind?
gpt
With thee, accursed betrayer of secrets and worker of iniquity, have I learned that soft caresses may prove as the coils of a venomous serpent, and that a woman's lips may conceal poison!
human
Thou thinkest that thou hast cleverly deceived me--eh? he hissed.
gpt
Thy dark eyes sparkle like the stars, because thou, thrice-cursed offspring of Satan, knowest that--that I have been fooled, tricked by thee, who hast received from me every luxury! Had it not been for me, thou wouldst have been at this moment the slave of some common camel-driver, and--
human
Even that would have been preferable to imprisonment within thine harem. Would that thine accursed generosity had been showered upon some other woman than upon me, she cried, rousing herself and looking straight and fearlessly into his angry, bearded visage.
gpt
True, in return for thy favours, I have tried to love thee. Thou hast been pleased to exalt me to be chief of thy wives, to bestow upon me jewels of great price, and to place me above those who were envious because their faces pleased thee not. Towards thee I have been faithful, and I have ever kept thy private affairs locked within my bosom.
human
And thou hast now exposed the greatest of all our secrets--the intentions of the Senousya!
gpt
I tell thee thou liest! she cried in anger, clenching her small white hand;
human
I have divulged nothing--I swear!
gpt
Perhaps not personally; nevertheless thou hast been instrumental in allowing the designs of our brotherhood to become known, and punishment will of a verity overtake thee. May the judgment of Allah fall upon thee! upon thy father, and upon thy tribe of murderers and harlots, and may their vitals be devoured by the fire unquenchable! Thou, bringer of evil upon our house, hast done thy best to thwart the _Jihad_, [Holy War] against the dogs of Infidels.
human
I cannot understand thy meaning, she said, puzzled.
gpt
Thine accusations are as complicated as the lock of the Holy Ka'abah.
human
Vile offspring of Shirm! he cried in a sudden paroxysm of passion, seizing her roughly by the wrist.
gpt
To feign ignorance will not avail thee. I have discovered the depths of thy perfidy. Perhaps thou wilt deny that, on thy return hither with thy slaves, thou didst discover amid the ruins of the Hall of the Great Death a man who had been wounded?
human
Thou, cursed handmaiden of hell, viewing this stranger from beyond the Atlas with compassion because his face found favour in thine eyes, bound up his wound, and, placing him in a _jakfi_ upon one of thy camels, secretly bore him hither. Though thou didst not know him, thou gavest him food, and tended him while he lay fever-stricken and unconscious; and when thou arrivedst here, thy women, acting under thine orders, assisted thee to secrete him in some place the existence of which thyself only hast knowledge. Speak! he added, twisting her white arm until a cry of pain escaped her.
gpt
Speak, woman! tell me if I utter the truth.
human
Release me, brute! she cried, springing to her feet, with her beautiful eyes flashing angrily.
gpt
Thinkest thou that I will endure thy tortures longer? No! I hate thee! I will depart. Another may rule thine harem, and may she find her position happier than mine hath been!
human
But remember thou art my prisoner. Dost thou admit or deny what I have said?
gpt
If thou accusest me of infidelity, I can deny it upon the Book of the Everlasting Will, she replied, drawing herself up haughtily.
human
Other allegations I deign not to answer, even though thou art my captor, and I am in thy power.
gpt
Then know, O woman of evil, who hast been defiled by the eyes of a stranger, the man thou hast aided now holdeth the secret of the Ghuzzat, and--
human
He--he hath learned of the plot against our Oppressors? she gasped.
gpt
Tell me, how did it occur?
human
At the council of the Brotherhood he was discovered behind a curtain in the secret Chamber of Assembly, and no doubt can exist but that he watched and obtained knowledge of our rites and intentions. Upon me, therefore, will fall the fierce and fatal wrath of the Brotherhood, for within my walls hath their secret been betrayed!
gpt
But--how did he gain the Chamber of the Assembly?
human
Thou canst best answer that question,
gpt
I am in ignorance, truly, she declared, a deadly pallor overspreading her fair countenance.
human
I have done naught of which I am ashamed.
gpt
But canst thou not, perfidious wench, see that our secret is out? he continued angrily.
human
The stranger, though pursued, disappeared mysteriously, and though every search hath been made, he hath not been found. By this time he is most probably on his way into Algeria, where he will spread the warning, and thus the armed hordes of the Roumis will be on the alert, and our aims utterly defeated.
gpt
And thou hast attributed the misfortune of thy fellow-conspirators to me?
human
I tell thee thou alone art the author of the evil that hath befallen us, he cried, with flashing eyes.
gpt
For women of Eblis who betray True Believers, the fire of hell is already prepared. There, the flame and smoke shall surround thee like a pavilion, and if thou beggest relief, thou shalt be relieved with water like molten brass that shall scald thy face. The mischief is worked, the secret is divulged, and already the Brotherhood are leaving, never to return. Thee, devilish daughter of Waila, have we to thank for introducing secretly a spy into our midst!
human
I have acted as I thought fit. Leave my presence! she commanded, with imperious gesture.
gpt
I will no longer suffer the brutal insults of a man I hate. Ere the sun hath set I shall have freed myself of thine hateful bonds and left thine accursed roof.
human
Thou shalt never go from here alive! he hissed in her ear, holding her slim white wrist and dragging her roughly towards him.
gpt
Already thou, the cause of our downfall, hast defiled thine hands with the blood of a stranger, and allowed him to obtain knowledge whereby our secret designs will be thwarted. For such offences there is but one penalty. It is death!
human
Thou, who art tired of me, bring these accusations in order to justify my murder! she gasped in indignation and alarm.
gpt
My people have not forgotten, and assuredly will they seek blood revenge.
human
Enough! he growled between his teeth, as in a second he drew a knife from his waist, and, clutching her by the throat, forced her upon her knees.
gpt
Thou art the handmaiden of Al-Dajjal, and the mark of the Cafer is set upon thy brow. Thou shalt die!
human
Spare me! Spare me! she implored piteously.
gpt
Be thou merciful!
human
Thy people, thou Misriyah! will never know thy fate, for ere sundown thou wilt be as offal, and vultures will strip thy bones, he said, with a fiendish grin.
gpt
See! this my knife seeketh thy polluted heart.