The Shaving of Shagpat, George Meredith [popular e readers TXT] 📗

And she panted and sighed, and wept, crying, “Who, who will kiss me or have my kiss now, that I may indeed be as yonder beam? Who, that I may be avenged on this King? And who sang that song of the ascending of the moon, that comes to me as a part of me from old times?” As she gazed on the circled radiance swimming under a plume of palm leaves, she exclaimed, “Ruark! Ruark the Chief!” So she clasped her hands to her bosom, and crouched under the shadows of the garden, and fled through the garden gates and the streets of the city, heavily veiled, to the prison where Ruark awaited her within the walls and Ukleet without. The Governor of the prison had been warned by Ukleet of her coming, and the doors and bars opened before her unchallenged, till she stood in the cell of Ruark; her eyes, that were alone unveiled, scanned the countenance of the Chief, the fevered lustre-jet of his looks, and by the little moonlight in the cell she saw with a glance the straw-heap and the fetters, and the black-bread and water untasted on the bench⁠—signs of his misery and desire for her coming. So she greeted him with the word of peace, and he replied with the name of the All-Merciful. Then said she, “O Ruark, of Rukrooth thy mother tell me somewhat.”

He answered, “I know nought of her since that day. Allah have her in his keeping!”

So she cried, “How? What say’st thou, Ruark? ’tis a riddle.”

Then he, “The oath of Ruark is no rope of sand! He swore to see her not till he had set eyes on Bhanavar.”

She knelt by the Chief, saying in a soft voice, “Very greatly the Chief of the Beni-Asser loved Bhanavar.” And she thought, “Yea! greatly and verily love I him; and he shall be no victim of the Serpents, for I defy them and give them other prey.” So she said in deeper notes, “Ruark! the Queen is come hither to release thee. O my Chief! O thou soul of wrath! Ruark, my fire-eye! my eagle of the desert! where is one on Earth beloved as thou art by Bhanavar?” The dark light in his eyes kindled as light in the eyes of a lion, and she continued, “Ruark, what a yoke is hers who weareth this crown! He that is my lord, how am I mated to him save in loathing? O my Chief, my lion! hadst thou no dream of Bhanavar, that she would come hither to unbind thee and lift thee beside her, and live with thee in love and veilless loveliness⁠—thine? Yea! and in power over lands and nations and armies, lording the infidel, taming them to submission, exulting in defiance and assaults and victories and magnanimities⁠—thou and she?” Then while his breast heaved like a broad wave, the Queen started to her feet, crying, “Lo, she is here! and this she offereth thee, Ruark!”

A shrill cry parted from her lips, and to the clapping of her hands slaves entered the cell with lamps, and instruments to strike off the fetters from the Chief; and they released him, and Ruark leaned on their shoulders to bear the weight of a limb, so was he weakened by captivity; but Bhanavar thrust them from the Chief, and took the pressure of his elbow on her own shoulder, and walked with him thus to the door of the cell, he sighing as one in a dream that dreameth the bliss of bliss. Now they had gone three paces onward, and were in the light of many lamps, when behold! the veil of Bhanavar caught in the sleeve of Ruark as he lifted it, and her visage became bare. She shrieked, and caught up her two hands to her brow, but the slaves had a glimpse of her, and said among themselves, “This is not the Queen.” And they murmured, “ ’Tis an impostor! one in league with the Chief.” Bhanavar heard them say, “Arrest her with him at the Governor’s gate,” and summoned her soul, thinking, “He loveth me, the Chief! he will look into my eyes and mark not the change. What need I then to dread his scorn when I ask of him the kiss: now must it be given, or we are lost, both of us!” and she raised her head on Ruark, and said to him, “my Chief, ere we leave these walls and join our fates, wilt thou plight thyself to me with a kiss?”

Ruark leapt to her like the bounding leopard, and gave her the kiss, as were it his whole soul he gave. Then in a moment Bhanavar felt the blush of beauty burn over her, and drew the veil down on her face, and suffered the slaves to arrest her with Ruark, and bring her before the Governor, and from the Governor to the King in his council-chamber, with the Chief of the Beni-Asser.

Now, the King Mashalleed called to her, “Thou traitress! thou sorceress! thou serpent!”

And she answered under the veil, “What, O my lord the King! and wherefore these evil names of me?”

Cried he, “Thou thing of guile! and thou hast pleaded with me for the life of the Chief thus long to visit him in secret! Life of my head! but Mashalleed is not one to be fooled.”

So she said, “ ’Tis Bhanavar! hast thou forgotten her?”

Then he waxed white with rage, exclaiming, “Yea, ’tis she! a serpent in the slough! and Ukleet in the torture hath told of thee what is known to him. Unveil! unveil!”

She threw the veil