Say nothing now, Mohammed, but reflect
on what I have said. And if you love me, and think you owe me your
love, and wish to prove your friendship for me, accept the proffered
position, and go out with me into the world. Go, and reflect about
it, Mohammed, and, when you have decided, come to me with your
answer."
Mohammed left the garden as his friend had asked him, the words "you
must go with me where laurels, glory, and magnificence await you,"
resounding in his heart. He hears them everywhere, at home with his
wife, in the midst of his family. And then the voice of reason would
in its turn make itself heard: "You should not abandon the woman who
rescued you from death, and has given you comfort, wealth, and
position. You should not abandon the children, whom you are called
on to instruct and protect."
"No, I ought not to go," he repeated to himself, as he sat down
beside Ada, and called his children to him. "No, I must remain
here."
And yet, again and again, Osman's words come back to him.
He could not bear to chat with his lips, while such voices were
speaking in his heart. He must leave the house, seek solitude, and
consult with his own thoughts. He made some pretence of pressing
business requiring his attention, and went out into the street. He
started to walk rapidly toward the spot on the rock, where he had so
often sought solitude and consolation.
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