ed content; most musical of all, the
bulbul's throbbing, passionate note--not loud--was heard for the first
time. Yes; we might have said: "If there is a heaven upon earth, it is
this, it is this, it is this."

The snake creeps into most paradises: suddenly a thunder-storm invaded
ours; heavy rain began even to penetrate the thick lace of leaves and
branches over our heads, and, walking to the opening at the edge of the
wood, it was clear that heavy storms were working up from the north-east;
nor did the day improve. Having sat through two downpours, with every
sign of more to follow, when another pressing invitation came from the
khaylifa to spend the night in the kasbah, it seemed foolish to do other
than accept; for bad weather under tents, which like ours did not claim
to be waterproof, has no attractions. Further, the khaylifa had stated
that the guest-house was new, and had never been occupied.

Thither we hurried through the rain. The inside of the "castle" was
blocked by a collection of filthy-looking sheds or rooms, which seemed to
be full of Arabs and negroes and women--wives of the khaylifa--all of
them squalid and mannerless: the paths between were littered with refuse.
A country kaid, judging from the state of his kasbah, is possessed of no
refinement, and has less sense of decency and comfort, as European ideas
go, than many members of the labouring class at home.

The appearance of the guest-house was, however, reassuring: the long
lofty room into which we were shown had been newly whitewashed, the
ceiling painted red and green; its double doors and two windows opened
into a little courtyard, and rooms beyond housed the servants. A sheep
was being skinned in an adjoining shed: we were to be feasted.

Meantime, few, if any, of the kaid's retainers could have abstained from
visiting us, to judge by the levee which we held for more than an hour:
perhaps the black slaves were most interesting, but they were also
hardest to remove, from the scene of such a phenomenon, as two
Englishwomen within their own walls. Probably no such thing had happened
within the memory of man; for Sheshaoua is off the beaten track to
Marrakesh, nor do travellers as a rule sleep out of their tents.

While we had tea, under a battery of eyes, and further annoyed by the
chatter at the open door and windows, a _mona_ (a present from the
governor) arrived, and was set down at our feet. It was not the
time--just after tea--to eat an