the ear. One awkward result of this was that the upper ear-rings
pulled the ears down, and made them pendent like those of a poodle!

The visitors having been introduced, Madam Rais Ali received them with a
good-humoured stare, but said nothing. Mrs Langley then tried to
engage her in conversation, but Mrs Ali continued to stare and smile
without speaking, for the good reason that she understood neither French
nor English. Requesting Ali to interpret, Mrs Langley then put one or
two questions. The bride turned her large dark eyes on her husband
while he was speaking, and then, instead of replying, turned them on her
visitors and laughed. Whereupon little Agnes, unable to control
herself, also laughed; this unhinged Mrs Langley, who laughed likewise,
and Rais Ali followed suit from sympathy.

After this satisfactory ebullition, Mrs Langley again essayed to induce
conversation, but beyond yes, no, and a laugh, she could draw forth
nothing whatever from the bride, whose mind, in regard to all things
terrestrial, with the exception of household affairs, was a perfect
blank. Mohammedan females are treated by their lords like babies. They
receive no education worthy of the name, and are therefore apt to be
childish in their ideas.

After one or two fruitless attempts, the visitors took leave of the
happy bride, who was thereupon locked up again by her jealous husband,
and left to her own resources and the cat.

Returning to the place where their steeds had been left, the party
re-mounted, and proceeded to the palace of the cadi.

This palace, being situated in one of the narrow lanes of the town, had
a very undignified and dull exterior. Indeed, no one could have
imagined it to be a palace, but for the spiral columns of marble and
other rich and costly carving around the entrance. Inside, however, the
aspect of things was more in keeping with the dignity of the owner.

The lady and her daughter were ushered into a little square hall, in
which several guards were seated, cross-legged, on small stone seats or
niches round the walls, smoking long pipes. Beyond this was the
principal entrance-hall or antechamber of the palace. It was gorgeous
in marble pillars, stucco designs, horse-shoe arches, and other
Mooresque decorations. Here a large party of officials and friends were
moving about. Beyond this, they came to the square court, which is the
same in general arrangements, in all Moorish houses, though, of co