servants went back to their country house; and Aseneth and her seven
maidens were left alone. And the sun went down and all was quiet.

II

When everyone else in the tower was asleep, Aseneth, who had remained
weeping on her bed, rose up stealthily and crept downstairs to the
gate of the tower, where the woman who kept the door was asleep with
her children; and as quietly as she could she unhooked the heavy
leather curtain that hung in the doorway, and spreading it out on the
floor, heaped up upon it all the cinders and ashes out of the hearth,
folded the corners together, dragged it upstairs and threw it down on
the floor. Then she barred the door of her room securely, and burst
into bitter weeping. It so happened that the maiden whom Aseneth
loved the best of all her seven companions was awake, and heard the
sounds of crying. She was alarmed, and flew to wake up the other
attendants, and all of them came to the door of Aseneth's chamber,
which was locked and barred. They called to her, "What is the matter,
dear mistress? Open to us and let us come in and comfort you." But
Aseneth answered from within, "It is nothing but a violent headache.
I am in bed, and too tired and ill to get up and open the door. Go
back all of you to your beds. I shall be well to-morrow." So they
dispersed to their rooms.

And when they were safely gone, Aseneth got up and opened the door of
the room in which she kept her dresses and jewels, taking care to
make no noise; and from among all her robes she chose out a black
one which she had worn, years before, when the only son of Potipherah
had died. And she cast off her royal robe and her diadem and veil and
girdle, and put on the black robe and girded it with a rope. Next she