CHAPTER XX
132. 25. qui portait la main à son cou. A fréquent sign of intelligence with Arabs.
29. Le descendant du Prophète, the shérif. See note to page 7, line 25.
134. 14. Ce qui est écrit est écrit. See note to page 108, line 23.
26. d'indignes regards l'ont profanée. See note to page 102, line 25.
136. 7. un collier qui préservera mon nourisson du mauvais œil. See note to page 6, line 28.
137. 23-24. Maudit soit le derviche. Référence to the horoscope in chapter II, where it is said that Omar's best friend will be the cause of his death, upon which Mansour had asked for his son, from Eblis or Satan, that he might be a perfect egoist and have no friend.
138. 25 ff. Puis tout d'un coup apercevant les traits contractés d'Omar . . . The éventa of the two following pages are somewhal învolved, and as the student lias to face at the same time the difficulties of a texl in a foreign language, a briel indication of the argument may QOt lie- oui of place.
Cafour notices that ail at once Omar is very much concerned as to whether ail will end well for him after he has brought about the ruin of Abdallah who Btood in the way of liis winning Léila; then an idea cornes to lier mind of how to save Abdallah by avenging him upon Omar! Ile (Omarj has given her a secret mes-
sage for Fatima, the wife of the shérif ; this message she managed to disclose to the shérif in telling him the same mysterious words that Fatima — on the suggestion of Omar — had told him ; the shérif asks where she had heard thèse w ords, and she says : from one who never utters anything but words of love, of consolation et pitié, i.e. from Fatima; as the shérif now goes on in asking for the meaning of the mysterious words, Cafour refers him to Omar and thus gives him to understand that Omar had been communicating secretly with his (the shérifs) wife. Omar had mcant the words i amour est comme la jolie, on lui pardonne tout, to suggest to Fatima to get rid of her rival Léila by any means whatsoever pretending that she did it for the sake of her love for the shérif ; but now the artful Omar succeeds in making believe that it was not he who came to Fatima to urge her get rid of Léila so that he might thus win her for himself, but that she (Fatima) came to him and asked him to cause the ruin of Léila before she reached the harem of the shérif : Pouvais-je résister à une volonté que ton amour protège?; thus following Fatima's supposed orders, he had managed to hâve Léila dishonored, and unworthy of the love of a shérif : J'ai compromis Vcsclave comme on me l'avait ordonné; he had dishonored her by causing her to be seen unveiled; see page 102, Une 25-29 (and note to this passage), and page 134, line 23-27. Xow therefore after first rendering Abdallah responsible he again saves himself by making Fatima responsible . . . and still trusting that he will reach his goal by having Léila removed from the palace and sent to his own house.
