he were angry? She thought of his anger, and knew that at
this moment she would risk it--she would risk anything--to see the woman
in that tent. Thinking with great rapidity in her nervous excitement and
bitter jealousy, become tenfold more bitter now that the moment had
arrived for her departure, she imagined what the woman must be: probably
some exquisite, fair Circassian, young, very young, fifteen or sixteen
years old, or perhaps a maiden from the Fayyum, the region of lovely
dark maidens with broad brows, oval faces, and long and melting black
eyes. Her fancy drew and painted marvellous girls in the night. Then, as
a louder note, almost like a sigh, came from the tent, she moved
forward, lifted the canvas, and looked in.

The interior was unlike the interior of Baroudi's tent. Here nothing was
beautiful, though nearly everything was gaudy. The canvas was covered
with coarse striped stuff, bright red and yellow, with alternate red and
yellow rosettes all round the edge near the sand, which was strewn with
bits of carpet on which enormous flowers seemed to be writhing in a
wilderness of crude green and yellow leaves. Fastened to the walls, in
tarnished frames, were many little pictures--oleographs of the most
blatant type, chalk drawings of personages such as might people an ugly
dream; men in uniforms with red noses and bulbous cheeks; dogs, cats,
and sand-lizards, and coloured plates cut out of picture papers. Mingled
with these were several objects that Mrs. Armine guessed to be charms, a
mus-haf, or copy of the Koran, enclosed in a silver case which hung from
a string of yellow silk; one or two small scrolls and bits of paper
covered with Arab writing; two tooth-sticks in a wooden tube, open at
one end; a child's shoe tied with string, to which were attached bits of
coral and withered flowers; several tassels of shells mingled with
bright blue and white beads; a glass bottle of blessed storax; and a
quantity of Fatma hands, some very large and made of silver gilt, set
with stones and lumps of a red material that looked like sealing-wax,
others of silver and brass, small and practically worthless. There was
also the foot of some small animal set in a battered silver holder. On a
deal table stood a smoking oil lamp of mean design and cheap material.
Underneath it was a large wooden chest or coffer, studded with huge
brass nails, clamped with brass, and painted a brilliant green. Near it,
touching the canvas wall, wa