The Princess And The Jewel Doctor

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About this book

A Russian princess arrives in Tunis carrying a private fear: the loss of sight that afflicted her mother and grandfather may await her too. During a visit to the bazaars with her guide Abdul, she hears of Safti, a healer who claims to treat illness with precious stones. His emerald ring becomes the focus of her hope, although he insists that anyone using it must remain near him in Tunis.

Robert Hichens builds this short story around the uneasy meeting of wealth, anxiety and belief. The crowded jewel market gives way to a dim room where the princess tries to bargain for protection against her greatest fear. Her companion's complaints about tea and drains bring an ordinary counterpoint to the growing tension. Readers interested in psychological suspense will find a compact study of how fear can make a promise seem irresistible.

About the author

Robert Hichens

Robert Smythe Hichens (1864–1950) was an English novelist, journalist, and music critic who first drew notice as a satirist of the 1890s. His anonymously published novel "The Green Carnation" (1894) lampooned Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas so pointedly that it was withdrawn during Wilde's trial.