at the extremities with little knobs of gold. In front there was no lack of diamonds, and the richest gems, disposed with no mean taste. In short, the bride was the admiration of all the men, and the envy of all the women. Every lady was on tiptoe at the lattice looking for the cavalcade for the last hour, and the poor bride's heart was panting with emotions which, at that moment at least, no young damsel might have envied her. At length a troop of horse was heard trampling in the street, and in a few minutes Yussuf was seen at the head of his kinsmen, sumptuously attired, holding his sword in his right hand, while he demanded his bride in a loud voice, thus manifesting his claim to the title of her protector and husband. The father of the bride received his son-in-law at the threshold, the latter exclaiming, "This is the day of true joy;" to which the executioner replied, "Great and lasting be thy joy !" In the lower apartments the bridegroom and his friends were hospitably entertained for some hours. The bride then descended with a host of female attendants decently veiled, to hide their charms from the eyes of the profane. The bridegroom

again mounted his charger and led the cavalcade; then followed his troop of friends; the female cortège came next, the bride walking under a gorgeous canopy, the women in the rear waving their white handkerchiefs, and emitting from time to time a thrilling cry of joy. A band of music followed next, and a merry-andrew completed the procession, whose antics served to draw off the attention of the rabble from the bride. Arrived at the bridegroom's house, Yussuf received his spouse, and seizing on her fair hand for the first time, he conducted her to the door of the harem, encouraging the trembler with all his eloquence as he went along, and, having consigned her to the women's care, he returned to his friends who

were below stairs. There he remained with his joyous kinsmen till midnight, not suffered to approach the door of the harem the whole day long, where the blooming Zarafat was enjoying the splendid misery of hymeneal pomp, seated immoveable as a statue, and no less silent, under a canopy of state, with downcast glance of exceeding modesty, and still veiled, lest a ray of beauty should escape ere he to whom the light

of her countenance belonged should remove the invidious gauze ; till that moment when he should turn away his head to avoid the dazzling lustre of her eyes, and should only look again at the encouraging intimation to approach without fear "Guel jacquir benum--Come again, my guardian angel." Forbid it, ye chaste stars, that one of our perusers should linger at the threshold of the temple of Aniran, and seek to view the shrine of unveiled beauty! What eye could support the dazzling blaze of the divinity! What lion heart might not dread being scathed by the lightning of her offended majesty! Allah Illah! if the high-priest of Aniran, in the shape of a husband, and the guardian of the shrine, in the earthly semblance of a black eunuch, were to catch you at the door of the temple, better had it been you had pried into the secrets of Eleusinian rites and Isian mysteries! Within a little hour the bow-string would be twanging in your ears, and the scimitar gleaming on your astonished vision.

CHAPTER XVIII.

Arise, black Vengeance, from thy hollow cell!
Yield up, O love, thy crown and hearted throne
To tyrannous hate! swell, bosom, with thy fraught,
For 'tis of aspics' tongues.

OTHELLO.

THE nuptials were no sooner celebrated, than Suleiman bade adieu to his son, giving him a great deal of advice about working himself into the favour of the executioner, whose place he might one day hope to fill. Yussuf's countenance brightened up at the prospect. "Would to Heaven, Sire," he exclaimed, "that an opportunity were afforded me of showing my dexterity to my worthy father-in-law. I have attended of late every public exhibition of justice, and I think there is much bungling, both in head and feet affairs. I mean, with the

assistance of the Prophet, to avoid such errors, and to rival the skill of the chief executioner himself, who is certainly a truly great man in cutting off heads; his coolness is only exceeded by his courtesy, so that even the rayahs think it a personal favour to fall under his hand: no unseemly flurry in his manner when the victim is dragged forth; no undignified violence in pushing him on his knees, when he seizes the tuft on his crown with his left hand; and repeats the bismillah in so gentle a voice, that the very culprit is involuntarily following his words, "In the name of the most merciful God!" when he just perceives the edge of the sword touching his bare neck, and then feels his head tumble into his lap in the twinkling of an eye. It would delight you, father, to witness the inimitable stroke, the obliquity of the gash, half cut, half thrust, and the rapidity of the motion; it is truly gratifying! But I cannot say so much for the happiness of his style in the employment of the bow-string; there is not sufficient energy in the turning of the stick behind, or the twisting of the cord, which admits of inconvenient struggles with