orientalcairocit00sladuoft

Arab Domestic Processions 261
She was abnormally tall and abnormally black. Her hair
was strained tightly into a knot at the back of her head,
and on her shining forehead was a large wreath of pink
roses.
Their other chief patron was an enormously fat lady
dressed in white satin, who had no angles at all, and for the
matter of that, no shape. She had tucked her feet under
herself till she looked like an enormous pear. You were
sure that if you pushed her over she would right herself
like a mandarin doll. Up to this she had taken no interest
in the proceedings, and had been apparently asleep. She
had a silver Assyut shawl over her head, which gave the
effect of a Christmas cracker.
At this stage the hegemony of the small boy was ruth-
lessly torn from him by an elderly female, who came forward,
with unmentionable details, to literally push the English
ladies into the bridal chamber, which was open to the room,
though it had folding doors, but which they had not yet
noticed, in the confusing mass of Egyptian womanity.
Nearly the whole of it was taken up with a vast bed
covered with pink satin ; it had pink satin valances, a pink
satin counterpane, pink satin curtains, and a pink satin
canopy ; it even had pink satin steps up to it. There
was just room for two chairs beside the bed, one of which
was occupied by the bridegroom, who smiled with effusive
benignity and seemed much relieved by having something
fresh to smile at, and the other by the bride, who was being
rapidly divested of her jewels—and her clothes. They were
just dragging her things off. She was so tired that she
could hardly hold her head up ; the stripping of her white
satin garments was the culmination of festivities, which had
lasted for two days and two nights without stopping. The
English ladies then turned tail though the audience made
entreating gestures to them not to leave at such an early
stage. But they did not feel certain how much conventions
might compel them to witness if they did stay, so they
literally fought their way out
It was much to my relief, for I was getting very tired of