nt, the
family took their pleasure more quietly.

Though a house of canvas, there were many divisions into rooms. The
Agha's wife had hers, separated completely from her sister's, and there
was space for guests, besides the Agha's own quarters, his reception
room, his dining-room (invaded to-night by all his family) the kitchen,
and sleeping place for a number of servants.

There were many dishes besides the inevitable cheurba, or Arab soup, the
kous-kous, the mechoui, lamb roasted over the fire. Victoria was almost
sickened by the succession of sweet things, cakes and sugared preserves,
made by the hands of the Agha's wife, Alonda, who in the Roumia's eyes
was as like Sarah as the Agha was like Abraham. Yet everything was
delicious; and after the meal, when the coffee came, lagmi the desert
wine distilled from the heart of a palm tree, was pressed upon Victoria.
All drank a little, for, said Lella Alonda, though strong drink was
forbidden by the Prophet, the palms were dear to him, and besides, in
the throats of good men and women, wine was turned to milk, as Sidi
Aissa of the Christians turned water to wine at the marriage feast.

When they had finished at last, a Soudanese woman poured rose-water over
their hands, from a copper jug, and wiped them with a large damask
napkin, embroidered by Aichouch, the pretty, somewhat coquettish married
daughter of the house, Maieddine's only sister. The rose-water had been
distilled by Lella Fatma, the widowed sister of Alonda, who shared the
hospitality of the Agha's roof, in village or douar. Every one
questioned Victoria, and made much of her, even the Agha; but, though
they asked her opinions of Africa, and talked of her journey across the
sea, they did not speak of her past life or of her future. Not a word
was said concerning her mission, or Ben Halim's wife, the sister for
whom she searched.

While they were still at supper, the black servants who had waited upon
them went quietly away, but slightly raised the heavy red drapery which
formed the partition between that room and another. They looped up the
thick curtain only a little way, but there was a light on the other
side, and Victoria, curious as to what would happen next, spied the
servants' black legs moving about, watched a rough wooden bench placed
on the blue and crimson rugs of Djebel Amour, and presently saw other
black legs under a white burnous coil themselves upon the low seat.

Then began strange music,