But I hope you are aware that this event is of an unprecedented character." "What is an unprecedented character ?" she asked, stumbling over the long words.
"A thing that has never happened before and I devoutly hope will not happen again." Her face was turned to me.

The lower lip trembled a little.

The dog-look came into those wonderful eyes.
"You will be kind to me ?" she said, in her childish monosyllables, each word carefully articulated with a long pause between.
I felt I had behaved like a heartless brute, ever since I thrust her into the cab at Waterloo.

I relented and laughed.
"If you are a good girl and do as I tell you," said I.
"Seer Marcous is my lord and I am his slave," was her astounding reply.
Then I realised that she had been brought up by Hamdi Effendi.

There is something salutary, after all, in the training of the harem.
"I'm very glad to hear it," I said.
She closed her eyes.