win, and they prepared everything for the marriage ceremony.
But the hearts of the derwishes in the great monastery of the Bir Tefguia were heavy with sad ness, and El Mansouri, their wise sheykh, took the youth aside and said to him: "Khassoum, thou art young and I am old; but the old heart loves the young heart. Thus I ask thee to remember the saying of the sage: 'He is a fool who marries a stranger.’" And Khassoum answered, laughing carelessly: "Great sheykh, thou art old and I am young; yet does the young heart love the old heart. Remember thou the saying of the Persian poet: 'Only he is wise who loves.’"
Then the kind derwishes bowed their heads to the decrees of inevitable fate; and they talked amongst themselves, and out of their scanty belongings they gave to Khassoum, that he might send a suitable dower to the maiden's father.
And on the seventh day after the new moon, the marriage ceremonies began. There was feasting during four days; lambs were roasted whole and there were rivers of sherbet, coffee and unfermented palm-wine. On the evening of the fourth day the bride went to her master's tent which had
