It was built by Ismail. Of all these Cairo palaces it
must be explained that they have none of the characteristics of castles
or strongholds; they are merely lightly built residences, designed for a
climate which has ten months of summer. The central hall and grand
staircase of Gezireh are superb; alabaster, onyx, and malachite adorn
like jewels the beautiful marbles, which came from Carrara. The
drawing-rooms and audience-chambers have a splendid spaciousness: the
state apartments of many a royal palace in Europe sink into
insignificance in this respect when compared with them. Much of the
furniture is rich, but again (as in the old house of the Sheykh es
Sadat) one finds it difficult to forgive the tawdry French carpets and
curtains, when the bazaars close at hand could have contributed fabrics
of so much greater beauty. But Ismail's taste was French--that is, the
lowest shade of French--as French is still the taste of modern Egypt
among the upper classes. It remains to be seen whether the English
occupation will change this. During the festivities at the time of the
opening of the canal, Ismail's royal guests were entertained at
Gezireh. On the upper floor are the rooms which were occupied by the
Empress Eugenie, the walls and ceilings covered with thick satin, tufted
like the back of an arm-chair, its tint the shade of blue which is most
becoming to a blond complexion--Ismail's compliment to his beautiful
guest. During these days there were state dinners and balls at Gezireh,
with banks of orchids, myriads of wax-lights, and orchestras playing
strains from _La Belle Helene_ and _La Grande Duchesse_. During one of
these balls the Emperor of Austria made a progress through the rooms
with Ismail, band after band taking up the Austrian national anthem as
the imperial guest entered. The vision of the stately, grave Franz Josef
advancing through these glittering halls by the side of the waddling
little hippopotamus of the Nile, to the martial notes of that fine hymn
(which we have appropriated for our churches under another name, and
without saying "By your leave"), is one of the sinister apparitions with
which this rococo palace, a palace half splendid, half shabby, is
haunted.

[Illustration: CHIEF WIFE OF EX-KHEDIVE ISMAIL, WITH HER PRIVATE BAND

From a photograph by Schoefft, Cairo]

In the garden there is a kiosk whose proportions charm the eye. The
guide-books inform us that this ornamentation is of cast-iron; tha