volume 2 - Robert Bedrosian's Armenian History Workshop

231
M6SUL AND The Monastery of Rabban H6RMizD:
M6SUL TO Baghdad.
When I awoke on the Monday morning, November
24th, it was snowing, sleeting and raining with steady
persistency, and as all the streets of M6sul were ankle
deep in mud and slush I was only too thankful for an
excuse to stay indoors for a day or two. As I knew
that my stay in the town would probably not exceed
three weeks, I made arrangements with Nimrud Rassam,
at his earnest request, to board and lodge with him.
I had heard in London that he had married during the
past summer, and thought that he and his wife would
rather have their house to themselves during the first
year of their married life, but he insisted that I should
stay with him, and I did so. The day after my arrival
he brought his wife into the large verajidah and introduced
me to her. She was a little lady, and was
arrayed in most splendid and bright-coloiired silks.
Her head was decorated with niunerous chains of gold
to which disks of gold were attached ; there was a great
gold necklace with a pectoral about her neck, and she
wore gold bracelets and anklets. She was then eleven
or twelve years of age. She came up to me shyly with
Nimrud, and with much self-possession spoke some
pretty words of welcome in a high voice, and said she
liked the English. The little lady wore no veil, and she
perched herself on the top of a small inlaid table {kursi),
and took coffee with us, but evidently preferred the
bus idak sweetmeat which her husband had taken care
to provide for her. She soon became tired of her duty
as hostess, and she was bored by our talk and showed
it plainly. As soon as she saw her attendant coming
towards the verandah she slid off the kurst and trotted
off to her as fast as her splendid raiment would permit,
and that was the last I saw of my little hostess. I heard