"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
assisting. 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 passed 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 space
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 aptitude 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," assented 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."