Part 9 (2/2)
”Now you look lovely,” said Zooloo--with her eyes--stepping back and surveying her as a painter might his _chef-d'oeuvre_.
”Do I? How nice!” replied Agnes.
Then the whole party broke into a chorus of laughter, and running to a wardrobe tumbled out a ma.s.s of richly embroidered garments--in silk, satin, muslin, damask, fine linen, and gold, that would have stocked at least half a dozen European families with charading material for life.
From this heap were selected and put on a lovely pair of fair linen drawers, of that baggy kind peculiar to Algerine ladies; also an exquisite little caftan, or sleeveless jacket, of scarlet cloth, so covered with gold lace that scarcely any of the scarlet was visible; likewise a perfect gem of a cap of gold, not bigger than Agnes's own hand, which Fatma put on in a coquettish style, very much to one side of the head; saying, (with her eyes), as she did so, and laughing heartily the while--
”You're not married yet, of course?”
To which Agnes replied, also with her eyes, innocently--
”No, not yet, but I hope to be soon.” Whereupon the whole party laughed immoderately and said, each one with her eyes--
”There can't be the smallest doubt whatever upon _that_ point!”
At this point they were interrupted by the entrance of Hanyfa, but that lady, far from damping their ardour, took particular pleasure in a.s.sisting. By her advice they cut off a good deal more of the flaxen hair, and deepened the dye on the eyebrows, nails, and palms.
Gradually, however, Hanyfa drew the negress Zooloo from the scene of action, and entered into a very earnest conversation in whispers, quite unheeded by the riotous youngsters. There seemed to be a pretty good understanding between these unusually intelligent females, if one might judge from the nods and winks and knowing smiles which pa.s.sed between them; but their confabulation was cut short by the completion of the toilet.
Many other things of rare value and beauty, which we cannot afford s.p.a.ce to mention, were put upon Agnes, and then she was led by the hand into the presence of her mamma!
To say that Mrs Langley was dumbfounded is but a feeble way of expressing the state of her mind. Although a lady of great moral courage, and accustomed from infancy to self-control, she felt, on first beholding her timid little daughter, strongly disposed to seize Fatma by the hair of the head, and use her as a bludgeon wherewith to fell her Algerine mother; but, remembering the dignity of her position as, in some sort, a reflected representative of the British Empire in these parts, and also recalling to mind the apt.i.tude of Algerine gentlemen to tie up in sacks and drown obstreperous Algerine ladies, she restrained herself, bit her lips, and said nothing.
Fortunately at that moment it became necessary to conduct the bride to her future lord's apartment, which, for the time, was in another part of the same mansion.
To the cry of ”Lai! lai! lella!” which was meant to express great joy, and was always raised at Moorish weddings, the guests conducted poor Zara to her ”fate.”
That evening Hanyfa sat at the feet of her lord, Sidi Hamet, and watched the curls of smoke which, arising from the bowl of his magnificent hookah, rolled like cannon-wreaths from beneath his frowning and no less magnificent moustache.
”Zooloo is a smart girl,” said Hamet, referring to something that had just been said.
”She is,” a.s.sented Hanyfa.
”You are sure she cannot have misunderstood?” asked Hamet.
”Quite sure. Dressed as a boy, she lay close to their feet at the time in an angle of the wall near the Djama Djedid, and overheard every word distinctly.”
”Good,” said the Aga of cavalry, venting a sigh of relief, which propelled a miniature gunshot half-way across the room; ”that enables me to decide the course which I shall pursue, and gives us a little breathing-time before entering on the final act of the play.”
CHAPTER TEN.
SHOWS WHAT LESSONS WERE TAUGHT IN THE BAGNIO, AND DESCRIBES A BRAVE DASH FOR FREEDOM.
Bacri, the chief of the Jews, proved as good as his word.
By means of a golden lever he moved some one, who moved some one else, who moved the Dey to make certain inquiries about the slaves in the Bagnio, which resulted in his making the discovery that Lucien Rimini was a first-rate linguist and an excellent scribe.
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