THE SLAVE GIRL OF AGRA
seek to court the love of one who is now Sher Afghan's wife."
"To hear thee is to obey, mother, and my father's will is the law of the land. But the midnight hour has struck, and I would not detain thee from thy rest any longer. I have yet another visit to pay; and my father's eldest Queen, Sultana Rakiya Begum, claims my attendance."
"Much I fear, my wayward son, it is not my royal sister, Rakiya Begum, but another who claims thee at this hour. But go, my son, go and see the Fair Persian for the last time. Remember she is now the wedded wife of Sher Afghan, and is entitled to the honour due to a married woman. My slave Jelekha will take thee to my royal sister's palace."
One more goblet the Prince quaffed and then saluted his mother and walked out of the hall. Jelekha and her companion led him by a marble corridor to a distant part of the palace. The Jumna rolled below and laved the newly-built walls and bastions of the fort of Agra; and the dim light of stars fell on the carved arches, the quaint balustrades and the marble pavement. The wind was soft and fragrant, and the world slept in the hush of the midnight.
But Prince Selim cared little for the beauty of the night or the charm of the scene before him. His face was flushed, and his steps were not altogether steady, as he proceeded to Queen Rakiya Begum's palace.
"Why, I think I have seen thy pretty face before, my young Tartar maid," said the Prince, casting a glance at Jelekha. "Those keen, dark eyes of thine are not soon forgotten, my pretty girl."
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