The magic ring, Vol. 3 (of 3)

desire only to remain evermore under his protection.”—“Truly, Bertha of Lichtenried is of a very different opinion,” answered the damsel; “and that you may be convinced of this, I demand that you will immediately order a proper escort to attend me, and that I may be carried back to Gascony from whence I came.”—“If you insist on this,” answered the emir, “deeply as it grieves my heart, doubtless your wishes shall be fulfilled; and yet——” He paused, and fixed on her a long, ardent gaze; “should I forsake thee?” cried he;—“should I permit such an angel as thou art to depart from my palace, under the protection of strangers, on thy voyage into a distant land?—What if they did not pay that respect which thou deservest,—if they offended thee in word or deed, or even with the rough sound of their churlish voices?—The very thought is enough to render me mad with rage. Trust thyself then to me, and to me alone; for thou could’st not rest more safely even in a father’s arms!”—The prince’s ardour now indeed seemed more like that of an affectionate parent or brother, than that of a selfish lover; so that Bertha could no longer be afraid; and, except her brother, Sir Heerdegen, she could not recollect any one over the wide world under whose protection she would more gladly have placed herself. Therefore she no longer urged her immediate departure, but relied on the emir’s promise, that she should be sent whither she wished to go as soon as circumstances rendered it possible for him to travel with her. The prince expressed with great respect his thankfulness for the confidence that she reposed in him; and the few days that must intervene, before she could leave Carthagena, were to be spent in viewing the numberless beautiful apartments,—the works of art,—and the magnificent gardens of his palace. The realms of Asia are indeed rich, and blest, above all quarters of the earth, as if Nature evermore bestowed her especial care and affections on that country wherein man first derived his birth; and where, in after-years, far more than the gift of mortal life was bestowed on him. Whatever treasures and luxuries this land affords, whether of nature or art, all were in the possession of the rich and powerful emir. He himself walked