, to be reverenced. If he spoke,
the husband would kill him; but the Arab would never do it for a
European, 'because all Europeans are so hard upon women,' and do not fear
God and conceal their offences. If a dancing-girl repents, the most
respectable man may and does marry her, and no one blames or laughs at
him. I believe all this leads to a good deal of irregularity, but
certainly the feeling is amiable. It is impossible to conceive how
startling it is to a Christian to hear the rules of morality applied with
perfect impartiality to both sexes, and to hear Arabs who know our
manners talk of the English being 'jealous' and 'hard upon their women.'
Any unchastity is wrong and _haram_ (unlawful), but equally so in men and
women. Seleem Effendi talked in this strain, and seemed to incline to
greater indulgence to women on the score of their ignorance and weakness.
Remember, I only speak of Arabs. I believe the Turkish ideas are
different, as is their whole hareem system, and Egypt is not the rule for
all Muslims.

_Saturday_, 12_th_.--I dined last night with Mustapha, who again had the
dancing-girls for some Englishmen to see. Seleem Effendi got the doctor,
who was of the party, to prescribe for him, and asked me to translate to
him all about his old stomach as coolly as possible. He, as usual, sat
by me on the divan, and during the pause in the dancing called 'el
Maghribeeyeh,' the best dancer, to come and talk. She kissed my hand,
sat on her heels before us, and at once laid aside the professional
_galliardise_ of manner, and talked very nicely in very good Arabic and
with perfect propriety, more like a man than a woman; she seemed very
intelligent. What a thing we should think it for a worshipful magistrate
to call up a girl of that character to talk to a lady!

Yesterday we had a strange and unpleasant day's business. The evening
before I had my pocket picked in Karnac by two men who hung about me, one
to sell a bird, the other one of the regular 'loafers' who hang about the
ruins to beg, and sell water or curiosities, and who are all a lazy, bad
lot, of course. I went to Seleem, who wrote at once to the
Sheykh-el-Beled of Karnac to say that we should go over next morning at
eight o'clock to investigate the affair, and to desire him to apprehend
the men. Next morning Seleem fetched me, and Mustapha came to represent
English interests, and as we rode out of Luxor the Sheykh-el-Ababdeh
joined us, with fou