But, then, to fly from your
native land!"
"And is not the land we fly to, the native land of our mother, where
we shall live in freedom? And shall we not each have a youthful
husband in exchange for a severe old father?"
"Why, that again is all very true; and your father, I must
confess, is rather tyrannical: but what then," relapsing into her
grief, "would you leave me behind to bear the brunt of his vengeance?"
"By no means, my good Kadiga; cannot you fly with us?"
"Very true, my child; and, to tell the truth, when I talked the
matter over with Hussein Baba, he promised to take care of me, if I
would accompany you in your flight: but then, bethink you, my
children, are you willing to renounce the faith of your father?"
"The Christian faith was the original faith of our mother," said the
eldest princess; "I am ready to embrace it, and so, I am sure, are
my sisters."
"Right again," exclaimed the old woman, brightening up; "it was
the original faith of your mother, and bitterly did she lament, on her
death-bed, that she had renounced it. I promised her then to take care
of your souls, and I rejoice to see that they are now in a fair way to
be saved. Yes, my children, I, too, was born a Christian, and have
remained a Christian in my heart, and am resolved to return to the
faith. I have talked on the subject with Hussein Baba, who is a
Spaniard by birth, and comes from a place not far from my native town.
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