"We should be fortunate if we had such men for husbands, although they are Franks and infidels." "Ay," answered the other; "and from their likeness they must be twins.

Now which of them would you choose ?" Then for a long while they discussed them, comparing them feature by feature and limb by limb, until the brethren felt their faces grow red beneath the sunburn and scrubbed furiously at their armour to show a reason for it.

At length one of the women said: "It was cruel of the lady Masouda to bring these birds into the Master's net.

She might have warned them." "Masouda was ever cruel," answered the other, "who hates all men, which is unnatural.

Yet I think if she loved a man she would love him well, and perhaps that might be worse for him than her hate." "Are these knights spies ?" asked the first.
"I suppose so," was the answer, "silly fellows who think that they can spy upon a nation of spies.