living in the Middle Ages." And the dancing young ladies laughed

laughs with mockery in them and derision, as if to say: Poor thing! Pity him!... One of the young men came up to Suad asking her to dance with him, and she granted his request with pleasure, after throwing Samir a glance with which she tried to stir his jealousy and his interest in her.

As for Samir, he shrank into himself as if struck by a dagger blow, but he tried to conceal his pain as best he could. And when he could not master his feelings, he went out of the house onto the balcony, listening to the strains of the music far from the dancers! But he could not feel at ease in this atmosphere. He felt like a stranger to everything going on around him. Could his own soul be lying to him? Had he not, in his heart of hearts, wished more than once that chance would allow him to meet Suad — she toward whom his heart had so often yearned, wishing he might be favored with one of her glances? Here she is now before him; here he is, invited to her house — indeed, she presses him to dance with her. Why then does he flee from her? Why does he feel a tightness settling on his chest and seizing all his nerves?

Suddenly Suad appears on the balcony, a cigarette in her mouth and in her hand a second, lighted cigarette, which she offers to Samir, saying: Here, I have lit you a cigarette to drive away some of the cares piled upon you, Samir.

— Thank you, Miss Suad... for I do not smoke. — But I have often seen you smoking as you stood at the window of your room — what is the matter with you this evening! So saying, she stretched out her hand, trying to place the cigarette in Samir's mouth, while he stood rigid as an idol... And she marveled at this strange creature in whom no vein throbbed and no feeling stirred — he who in last night's performance had displayed a kind of love that would set him in the ranks of the greatest lovers! And here he is, looking at her with looks full of all the meanings of love and passion, and she encour-aging him in it — why then does he stand before her frozen, as if there were no soul in him and no life!!

Samir felt that he needed solitude, to be alone, so he made his excuses to Suad and asked her leave to go. She was astonished at this and tried in vain to make him stay! Hardly had he bidden

her farewell when she returned, furious, to the dance floor, gave herself free rein, and, in one of the mad soul's fits of frenzy, went gulping down glass of wine after glass, passing from one young man to another, dancing with this one and dallying with that, until her strength was spent and she dropped from exhaustion onto one of the seats in something like a feverish frenzy!!...

The guests went on in their revel, drinking and eating and dancing, until one o'clock past midnight. Then they took leave of Suad and left her a prey to anxiety and forebodings. She dragged herself to her bedroom, trying to find in it some rest to calm the storm of her disordered nerves.

How strange! What does she see? Samir's room still lit? And what can he be doing at this hour?

So he was not what he claimed? There he is, bent over his desk, cigarette smoke gathering in cloud upon cloud in the air of his room!! The lying trickster!! He does not smoke!

She tries by every means to draw his eye to her, and cannot.

She lights the room, then puts out its light, time after time — he takes no notice!

Then she stands at the window and beats her hand on the iron grille — not a hand of his slackens, not a tilt of his head... At last she resolves to sleep, and in evident agitation begins ridding herself of her clothes, throwing them here and there, her eyes all the while trained on the window, watching Samir: will he look up at her? Does he see her? Why, oh why, does he not look at her?

A sudden thought flashes in her head!

How dreadful!! But... no... no... she will not lose this golden opportunity... She puts over her pajamas her beautiful garnet coat and slips out of her room like a snake, after putting out the light.

— You madman!! Is it you? — Yes, it is I... Why did you leave us, Samir, and come to sit up alone until this late hour of the night? — But you are mad... Do you not know that you are risking your reputation, your honor, and the honor of your family? — My honor? And my family's honor? You are a simpleton, Samir... But I am nearly suffocating from this smoke filling the air of your room... And yet you do not smoke! Allow me to take off my coat... And she flung her coat onto Samir's bed and stood, in her sheer silk pajamas, like a houri of Paradise!...

Samir could not believe his eyes. But it was Suad herself, and in his room at this late hour of the night! What was he to do? What to say? How was he to extricate himself from this trap Suad had thrown him into? Suad noticed Samir's bewilderment and the depth of his confusion, so she came toward him caressingly, took his hand in her own two hands, and said in a trembling, seductive voice:

— Samir... my darling... there is an invincible magic in your eyes, and on your broad dark forehead shine the marks of true manhood, and on your lips wander sweet phantoms of crying love and insis-tent desire... Why then this rigid-ity? And how long this coldness?

So saying, she took his head between her two hands and threw herself upon his lips, raining down on them a shower of red, burning kisses... And as she kissed him she strove, with all the strength and cunning she had been given, to display every art of temptation and seduction she possessed, to rouse his senses and inflame his feelings... Samir surrendered to this new experience, the like of which he had never known in all his life; a kind of numbness took hold of him, and he uttered not a word nor showed the least sign of resistance or refusal. Suad saw the effect of her enticement upon Samir and resolved to get from him the utmost she could; she drew him by his hands to the nearby seat and began playing with his hair and his head, Samir yielding like a small child on his mother's breast...

The wine had gone to Suad's head and taken full hold of her, making her forget all modesty and manners; she cast shame to the winds and appeared before Samir in a provocative, shameful posture... And her reddened eyes looked at him with abjection and brokenness, as if they were pleading!! Suddenly Samir started up, as if waking from a troubling dream, and said:

— Suad... Suad... For shame... What have you done? Can I believe my eyes? — Samir... my darling... I am yours... take me in your strong arms... He did not let her finish, but sprang from his place like a thunderbolt and rushed for the outer door, leaving Suad in her wild, mad frenzy...

A year and more has passed since this incident, in which Suad has not once met Samir; and when she is asked about him

and about the measure of his love for her, she answers with a mocking laugh: — Oh yes... he