"A hellish tissue of lies, an unheard-of deception! But in spite of the
shield a woman holds before you, I have my foot on your neck, treacherous
wretch! Is it credible--I ask you, judges--that a finished letter should
be found, after weeks had elapsed, in the hands of the writer and not
those of the person to whom it was addressed?"

The Kadi shrugged his shoulders and replied with calm dignity:

"Consider, Obada, that we are condemning this damsel on the evidence of
a letter which was found in possession, not of the person to whom it was
addressed, but of the writer. This document gave rise to no doubts in
your mind. The judge should mete out equal measure to all, Obada."

The aptness of these words, spoken in a dogmatic tone, aroused the
approval of the Arabs, and the Jew could not restrain himself from
exclaiming: "Capital!" but no sooner had it escaped him than he shrank
as quick as lightning out of the Vekeel's reach; and Obada hardly heard
him, for he did not allow himself to be interrupted by the Kadi but went
on to explain in wrathful words what a disgrace it was to them, as men
and judges, to have dust cast in their eyes by a woman, and allow
themselves to be molified by the arts of a pair of love-stricken fools;
and how desirable it must be in the eyes of every Moslem to guard the
security of life and bring the severest punishment on the instigator of a
sanguinary revolt against the champions of the Khaliff's power.

His eloquent and stormy address was not without effect; still, the
Christians, who ascribed every form of evil to the Melchite girl, would
have been satisfied with her death and have been ready to forgive the son
of the Mukaukas this crime--supposing him to have committed it. And it
was after the judges had agreed that it was impossible to decide by whom