better. I have just come home from the Bairam
early prayer out in the burial-place, at which Palgrave also assisted.
He is unwell, and tells me he leaves Luxor to-morrow morning. I shall
stay on till I am too hot here, as evidently the summer suits me.

Many thanks for Miss Berry and for the wine, which makes a very pleasant
change from the rather bad claret I have got. Palgrave's book I have
read through hard, as he wished to take it back for you. It is very
amusing.

If you come here next winter Mustapha hopes you will bring a saddle, and
ride 'all his horses.' I think I could get you a very good horse from a
certain Sheykh Abdallah here.

Well, I must say good-bye. _Kulloo sana intee tayib_, love to Henry.

April, 1866: Mrs. Austin

_To Mrs. Austin_.

BAIRAM,
_April_, 1866.

DEAREST MUTTER,

I write this to go down by Mr. Palgrave who leaves to-morrow. He has
been with Mustapha Bey conducting an enquiry into Mustapha A'gha's
business. Mariette Bey struck Mustapha, and I and some Americans took it
ill and wrote a very strong complaint to our respective Consuls.
Mariette denied the blow and the words 'liar, and son of a dog'--so the
American and English Consuls sent up Palgrave as commissioner to enquire
into the affair, and the Pasha sent Mustapha Bey with him. Palgrave is
very amusing of course, and his knowledge of languages is wonderful,
Sheykh Yussuf says few _Ulema_ know as much of the literature and
niceties of grammar and composition. Mustapha Bey is a darling; he knew
several friends of mine, Hassan Effendi, Mustapha Bey Soubky, and others,
so we were friends directly.

I have not yet got a woman-servant, but I don't miss it at all; little
Achmet is very handy, Mahommed's slave girl washes, and Omar irons and
cleans the house and does housemaid, and I have kept on the meek cook,
Abd el-Kader, whom I took while the Frenchman was here. I had not the
heart to send him away; he is such a _meskeen_. He was a smart
travelling waiter, but his brother died, leaving a termagant widow with
four children, and poor Abd el-Kader felt it his duty to bend his neck to
the yoke, married her, and has two more children. He is a most worthy,
sickly, terrified creature.

I have heard that a decent Copt here wants to sell a black woman owing to
rev