y eloquence" for which she was
remarkable, briskly assailed the author of "Childe Harold" for the
depreciating opinion he was supposed to entertain of all female
intellect. Being but little inclined, were he even able, to sustain such
a heresy against one who was in her own person such an irresistible
refutation of it, Lord Byron had no other refuge from the fair orator's
arguments than in assent and silence; and this well-bred deference
being, in a sensible woman's eyes, equivalent to concession, they
became, thenceforward, most cordial friends.

At Constantinople, which she next visited, Lady Hester remained for
several years. There was much in the gorgeous life of the East to charm
her fancy and gratify her besetting weakness. She delighted in the
implicit submission to her orders, in the almost servile obedience which
Orientals pay to their superiors, in the sharp contrast between the old
and the new civilization. After awhile, however, she wearied even of the
Golden City--it was not remote enough from Western ideas, nor did it
offer that solitary and independent throne which her ambitious and
restless spirit coveted. She resolved on seeking it amid the glowing
plains of Syria; and with this view embarked on board an English
merchant-vessel, which she had loaded with her property, with pearls of
considerable value, and with a large amount of costly presents designed
to purchase the homage or allegiance of the Syrian tribes.

Caught in a violent storm, the ship was wrecked on a reef near the
island of Rhodes. The waves swallowed up Lady Hester's treasures, and
she herself barely escaped with life. On a small desert island she
remained for four-and-twenty hours without food or shelter, until
happily discovered by some Levantine fishermen, who conveyed her to
Rhodes.

* * * * *

Returning to England, she hastened to collect the remains of her
scattered fortune, sold a portion of her estates, chartered another
vessel, and a second time sailed for the East. The voyage was not marked
by any contrary incident, and Lady Hester safely disembarked at Latakia,
a small port of Syria, between Tripoli and Alexandretta. In the
neighbourhood she hired a house, and began the study of Arabic, while
busily preparing for her Syrian travels.

Having acquired a tolerable knowledge of the language, customs, and
manners of the people, Lady Hester organized a numerous caravan, and
proceeded to visit ever