At last Ben Aboo made two announcements.The first, a public one, was that Abd er-Rahman would reach Tetuan within two days, on the opening of the feast of the Moolood, and the other, a private one, that if Naomi had not said the Kelmah by first prayers the following morning she should die and her father be cut off as the penalty of her apostasy.
That night the place under the narrow window in the dark lane was occupied by a group of Jews."Sister," they whispered, "sister of our people, listen.The Basha is a hard man.
This day he has robbed us of all we had that he may pay for the Sultan's visit.Listen! We have heard something.
We want Israel ben Oliel back among us.He was our father, he was our brother.Save his life for the sake of our children, for the Basha has taken their bread.Save him, sister, we beg, we entreat, we pray."Naomi broke down at last.Next morning at dawn, kneeling among men in the Grand Mosque in the Metamar, she repeated the Word after the Iman:
"I testify that there is no God but God, and that our Lord Mohammed is the messenger of God; I am truly resigned."Then she was taken back to the women's apartments, and clad gorgeously.
Her child face was wet with tears.She was only a poor weak little thing, she knew nothing of religion, she loved her father better than God, and all the world was against her.