e Japanese gold tench, whose
somnolent existence was now for the first time made interesting, dashed
about looking for an exit, and there was a general noise of splashing
and laughter. The dark, apparently fathomless pool was rather a mistake.
Mishaps like that just mentioned occurred, I believe, more than once.
There had been at first a white marble basin, but it did not give
satisfaction, because, being in several pieces, it leaked, whereas the
black one is all cut out of one block, at great expense, of course. But
the white had the advantage of lightness where light is none too
plentiful. In our winter, when days are dark and cold, black pools, with
marble columns and floors, tiled walls, and dim domes about them do not
fall in with English notions of cosy woollen comfort. The season to do
justice to this hall is when summer comes round. When the sun breaks
through the lattice work of the musharabiyehs, and the light is thrown
up on the storied tiles, and up the polished columns to the glinting
mosaic, to die away in the golden cupola, the effect is indeed superb,
and to sit on the divan, by the splash of the fountain, and look from
the glories within to the green trees without, is to live not in London
but in the veritable Arabian nights.

The hall is square. On one side is the entrance. In the centre of each
of the other sides is a lofty arched recess. Those to the north and
south are windows, shuttered with genuine musharabiyehs bought in Cairo
and having deep cushioned divans. The recess to the west has only a
small pierced window high up. It has a raised step, and in it used to
stand certain bronze reproductions from Pompeii, with pots, vases, etc.,
now gone. Some of the tiles were bought in Damascus in 1873. The price
paid was L200 for the complete tile surface of one room. What would they
be worth now? Others, particularly the great inscription spoken of
below, were bought later in Cairo, and the rest at odd times. Here and
there are single tiles, but most of them are in sets forming fine
panels. An interesting one, in the south-east corner, represents hawks
clutching their prey, cheetahs and deer, a hunter, etc., and another has
herons, fish, tortoises, deer, etc. Set into the woodwork in the western
recess are four tiles with female figures. These are either Persian or
come from the neighbourhood of Persia, for the Anatolian or Egyptian
Mahommedan tolerated no representations of life. The rest repeat in
plea