Turkish delight. Open your mouths and shut your eyes, and you'll find
a surprise."

Dressed in the wonderful embroidered garments, with silver ornaments
in their hair, scented with roses, and their mouths full of lumps of
delight, the two little girls felt as if they had wandered into the
land of the Arabian Nights, had been transformed into Eastern
princesses, and had only to command a slave of the lamp to come
forward and carry out their slightest desire.

"It's simply lovely," said Linda. "I never tasted anything so nice in
my life before. I think you're a magician, and can carry us off to
Persia, or India, or anywhere with a wave of your wand. But please,
you promised to tell us each a story about something, and you haven't
done so yet."

"Because you haven't chosen a 'something'," said Dr. Severn; "say what
you'd like, and I'll try to wave my magic wand."

"Then I'll have this funny little tassel of blue beads."

"That's a charm against the evil eye," said the doctor. "I got it in
Cairo. The Mohammedan mothers believe many people, especially
strangers, to be possessed of most uncanny powers, and think that if
they look very hard at their babies they can bewitch them, and cause
them to catch various diseases, and even to die. To avert the evil
they put charms on the children, and you may see a tiny boy with his
head shaved, all except a long lock which hangs over his eyes with one
of these bead talismans dangling at the end. The charms are always
blue, because that is considered the magical colour. The people are
very dark themselves, so they are terrified at the sight of an
Englishman with eyes of the dreaded shade; they are quite sure he must
be a desperately bad character, and it is safer to keep out of his
path. When I have been in the East, I have often seen mothers turn
their babies away lest my glance should fall on them. It is considered
very unlucky also to praise a child, and its parents, even though they
may be extremely rich, will sometimes let it look dirty and neglected
for fear anyone might happen to admire it."

"You can't bewitch me!" cried Linda. "I've got the talisman safe in my
hand!"

"I didn't say I was admiring you, did I?" laughed the doctor. "Though
these gorgeous robes are certainly very becoming."

"You're a true magician. I shall be frightened of you now. Is that all
you can tell me about my 'something'?"

"I'm afraid I know no more."

"Then, Sylvia, it's your turn."

"May