As he spoke the veil fell also, and lo! before them was a woman like to Masouda and yet not Masouda.The hair was dressed like hers; the ornaments and the necklace made of the claws of the lion which Godwin killed were hers; the skin was of the same rich hue; there even was the tiny mole upon her cheek, but as the head was bent they could not see her eyes.Suddenly, with a little moan she lifted it, and looked at them.
"Rosamund! It is Rosamund herself!" gasped Wulf."Rosamund disguised as Masouda!"And he fell rather than leapt from his saddle and ran to her, murmuring, " God! I thank Thee! "Now she seemed to faint and slid from her horse into his arms, and lay there a moment, while Godwin turned aside his head.
"Yes," said Rosamund, freeing herself, "it is I and no other, yet I rode with you all this way and neither of you knew me.""Have we eyes that can pierce veils and woollen garments?" asked Wulf indignantly; but Godwin said in a strange, strained voice:
"You are Rosamund disguised as Masouda.Who, then, was that woman to whom I bade farewell before Saladin while the headsman awaited me; a veiled woman who wore the robes and gems of Rosamund?""I know not, Godwin," she answered, "unless it were Masouda clad in my garments as I left her.Nor do I know anything of this story of the headsman who awaited you.I thought--I thought it was for Wulf that he waited--oh! Heaven, I thought that.""Tell us your tale," said Godwin hoarsely.
"It is short," she answered."After the casting of the lot, of which I shall dream till my death-day, I fainted.When I found my senses again I thought that I must be mad, for there before me stood a woman dressed in my garments, whose face seemed like my face, yet not the same.
" 'Have no fear,' she said; 'I am Masouda, who, amongst many other things, have learned how to play a part.Listen; there is no time to lose.I have been ordered to leave the camp; even now my uncle the Arab waits without, with two swift horses.You, Princess, will leave in my place.Look, you wear my robes and my face--almost; and are of my height, and the man who guides you will know no difference.I have seen to that, for although a soldier of Salah-ed-din, he is of my tribe.I will go with you to the door, and there bid you farewell before the eunuchs and the guards with weeping, and who will guess that Masouda is the princess of Baalbec and that the princess of Baalbec is Masouda?'
" 'And whither shall I go?' I asked.
" 'My uncle, Son of the Sand, will give you over to the embassy which rides to Jerusalem, or failing that, will take you to the city, or failing that, will hide you in the mountains among his own people.See, here is a letter that he must read; I place it in your breast.'
" 'And what of you, Masouda?' I asked again.
" 'Of me? Oh! it is all planned, a plan that cannot fail,' she answered.'Fear not; I escape to-night--I have no time to tell you how--and will join you in a day or two.Also, I think that you will find Sir Godwin, who will bring you home to England.'
" 'But Wulf? What of Wulf?' I asked again.'He is doomed to die, and I will not leave him.'
" 'The living and the dead can keep no company,' she answered.
'Moreover, I have seen him, and all this is done by his most urgent order.If you love him, he bids that you will obey." '
"I never saw Masouda! I never spoke such words! I knew nothing of this plot!" exclaimed Wulf, and the brethren looked at each other with white faces.
"Speak on," said Godwin; "afterwards we can debate.""Moreover," continued Rosamund, bowing her head, "Masouda added these words, 'I think that Sir Wulf will escape his doom.If you would see him again, obey his word, for unless you obey you can never hope to look upon him living.Go, now, before we are both discovered, which would mean your death and mine, who, if you go, am safe.' ""How knew she that I should escape?" asked Wulf.
"She did not know it.She only said she knew to force Rosamund away," answered Godwin in the same strained voice."And then?""And then--oh! having Wulf's express commands, then I went, like one in a dream.I remember little of it.At the door we kissed and parted weeping, and while the guard bowed before her, she blessed me beneath her breath.A soldier stepped forward and said, 'Follow me, daughter of Sinan,' and I followed him, none taking any note, for at that hour, although perhaps you did not see it m your prisons, a strange shadow passed across the sun, of which all folk were afraid, thinking that it portended evil, either to Saladin or Ascalon.*[* The eclipse, which overshadowed Palestine and caused much terror at Jerusalem on 4th September, 1187, the day of the surrender of Ascalon.-Author]
"In the gloom we came to a place, where was an old Arab among some trees, and with him two led horses.The soldier spoke to the Arab, and I gave him Masouda's letter, which he read.Then he put me on one of the led horses and the soldier mounted the other, and we departed at a gallop.All that evening and last night we rode hard, but in the darkness the soldier left us, and I do not know whither he went.At length we came to that mountain shoulder and waited there, resting the horses and eating food which the Arab had with him, till we saw the embassy, and among them two tall knights.
" 'See,' said the old Arab, 'yonder come the brethren whom you seek.See and give thanks to Allah and to Masouda, who has not lied to you, and to whom I must now return.'
"Oh! my heart wept as though it would burst, and I wept in my joy-- wept and blessed God and Masouda.But the Arab, Son of the Sand, told me that for my life's sake I must be silent and keep myself close veiled and disguised even from you until we reached Jerusalem, lest perhaps if they knew me the embassy might refuse escort to the princess of Baalbec and niece of Saladin, or even give me up to him.
