applies also to religious sanctity. An
instance is that of the late Shareef, or Noble, of Wazzan, a feudal
"saint" of great influence. His father, on his deathbed, appointed
as successor to his title, his holiness, and the estates connected
therewith, the son who should be found playing with a certain stick,
a common toy of his favourite. But a black woman by whom he had a son
was present, and ran out to place the stick in the hands of her own
child, who thus inherited his father's honours. Some of the queens of
Morocco have arrived at such power through their influence over their
husbands that they have virtually ruled the Empire.

Supposing, however, that the damsel who has at last found admittance
to the hareem does not, after all, prove attractive to her lord, she
will in all probability be sent away to make room for some one else.
She will be bestowed upon some country governor when he comes
to Court. Sometimes it is an especially astute one who is thus
transferred, that she may thereafter serve as a spy on his actions.

Though those before whom lies such a career as has been described will
be comparatively few, none who can be considered beautiful are without
their chances, however poor. Many well-to-do men prefer a poor wife
to a rich one, because they can divorce her when tired of her without
incurring the enmity of powerful relatives. Marriage is enjoined
upon every Muslim as a religious duty, and, if able to afford it, he
usually takes to himself his first wife before he is out of his teens.
He is relieved of the choice of a partner which troubles some of us so
much, for the ladies of his family undertake this for him: if they do
not happen to know of a likely individual they employ a professional
go-between, a woman who follows also the callings of pedlar and
scandal-monger. It is the duty of this personage, on receipt of a
present from his friends, to sing his praises and those of his family
in the house of some beautiful girl, whose friends are thereby induced
to give her a present to go and do likewise on their behalf in the
house of so promising a youth. Personal negotiations will then
probably take place between the lady friends, and all things proving
satisfactory, the fathers or brothers of the might-be pair discuss the
dowry and marriage-settlement from a strictly business point of view.

At this stage the bride-elect will perhaps be thought not fat enough,
and will have to submit to a course of stu