trangers to become familiar inmates of an
Eastern family, exposing wives, daughters, and sisters,
to their unhallowed gaze, was a favour and mark of
confidence on the part of Assaade which we duly
appreciated, nor ever abused; it was, however, a
privilege to which no other stranger in the place was
admitted, and affording, as it did, such opportunities
of acquiring the Arabic language, I eagerly embraced it
without any feeling of regret at the inhospitality to
which I was originally indebted for my admission behind
the scenes of Oriental life.

"The bare, gloomy, and massive stone walls of the
exterior of our habitation had not prepared us for the
comforts we found inside; and as for the first time we
followed Giorgio and his brother-in-law up the rude and
narrow stone staircase, which appeared to be scarped out
of the very thickness of the wall--an open sesame from
the former causing a strong iron studded door to fly
back on its hinges, disclosed a handsome patis or court
paved with black and white marble, along the sides of
which were luxuriantly growing, and imparting a cooling
freshness to the scene, the perfumed orange-tree,
bearing at the same time both fruit and blossoms, and
flanked by green myrtles and flowering geraniums; whilst
an apartment opening on this garden terrace, and which
appeared from the carpets and cushions scattered around
the still smoking narghilis, (or water-pipe, in which is
smoked the tumbic or Persian tobacco,) and other sundry
traces of female industry, to be appropriated as the
common sitting-room of the family, was on our entrance
precipitately deserted by all its occupants, save one
fine-looking matronly lady, whom Giorgio introduced as
his mother; and while she was welcoming us with many
'F[=a]dd[=a]lls,' and politely repeating, _Anna mugsond
shoufuk_, (be seated, I am delighted to see you,) with
innumerable other euphonious phrases, as we afterwards
found high-flown Eastern compliments, but which at the
time were sadly wasted on our Frankish ignorance, he,
following the fair fugitives, soon brought back in each
hand the blushing deserters, who have already been
introduced to the reader as Mesdemoiselles Sarah and
Nasarah. Pipes, narghilis, sherbet, and coffee followed
in quick succession; the young negress, Saade