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ing of the saganets, and it occupied a whole. hour.

"The Princess scarcely bestowed any attention upon an amusement which was no novelty to her, and with which she had entertained me as being a foreigner of distinction. As Her Highness reclined indolently on her divan, her red lips were placed from time to time to the beautiful amber mouthpiece of her chibouk, from which she puffed forth light clouds of perfumed smoke. Occasionally she seemed as if lost in deep thought; but those piercing dark orbs of hers never took their glance off me; and even when they were withdrawn, I still felt their fascinating influence upon me, for the very marrow in my bones appeared to become frozen within me.

"The slaves who were unemployed stood at the end of the saloon, but many of them kept constantly moving about; and from the number that I saw that day, I should think that Her Highness must have had not less than a hundred white, and a much greater number of black ones. Some of them were not more than six years old. While the dancing was

going on, several of them were employed in handing us violet, jasmine, and rose sherbet, with various kinds of confectionery, but especially that of Rahat-loukoum (so much prized by the Turks, and which had been sent to Her Highness from Constantinople, where it is made in perfection), which was served up in beautifully-embossed silver vases.

"Still that lovely, tall, graceful Circassian kept kneeling and handing me sweetmeats in silver-gilt spoons, and sherbet in large gold cups encrusted with diamonds. I drank it very slowly, which gave me an opportunity of gazing upon her beautiful features; and when I had drank it, she presented me with a fine Indian muslin napkin, fringed round with a very deep border of gold and silk, of which a European lady would have made a head-dress for the opera or masquerade. During which, and, in fact, all the time my visit lasted, Abyssinian slaves, with their white ivory teeth, kept constantly fanning me with large ostrich plumes.

"I think I have already mentioned that some other strangers came to visit the Grand Princess during the time that I was with her. Two

Coptic ladies, dressed in deep mourning, mother and daughter, the former a widow, passed through the saloon, with slow, theatrical carriage, like two spectres. As soon as they reached Her Highness, they knelt down, kissed her slipper, and then sat themselves down at the bottom of the room, near the slaves. minutes after they had seated themselves, they returned, faced the Princess, and again went through the same salutation; after which they retired with the same solemnity as they had entered.

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"The Princess did not even deign to exchange words with them; consequently she had not the trouble of replying to any questions, and the most deathlike silence followed that ceremonial introduction. This is the manner in which all official visits are paid in the East. My reception, as I have already described, was of a very different character; but then I was a foreigner, a stranger of rank, in the East; for here, as elsewhere, such individuals are always received with marks of great distinction.

"Although my visit had been prolonged the

greater part of the day, still it seemed to me but a second, and I was quite delighted to think that my adventure had hitherto been so successful. Everything has its end, but especially lucky adventures.

"At length the hour of departure arrived. Accordingly, I submitted with the best grace possible to the final ceremony, which terminates all visits to distinguished personages in the East. Two slaves advanced towards me; one held in her hands an incense-burner, (in which was burning the wood of aloes,) with which she wafted the smoke into my nostrils, and perfumed me as if I had been a holy person; the other held a small silver urn, pierced with small holes, filled with rose-water, which she sprinkled over my whole

person.

"I received this double attention in the most impassable manner possible, and thus, anointed with strong perfumes, I slightly touched with the tips of my fingers the Princess's hand, and then put them respectfully to my lips; which is the mode in which persons of rank take leave of distinguished Orientals. The Princess bowed gracefully to me; then rising up all at

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once, just as I had reached the door, she advanced towards me :

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Stop,' said she to me, 'I must show you my garden. And I will accompany you myself.'

"We passed through the reception-room, then descended a staircase, passed through a hall into a beautiful kiosk, but as empty and unadorned as a Dutch Protestant church, but delightfully cooled by a large marble fountain, which played in the centre. Then we passed into the garden. A whole troop of eunuchs preceded and also followed us; while the group of black and white slaves kept at a respectful distance. I remained by the side of the Princess, whose long robe trained along the ground. Her Highness took hold of my hand as we descended the staircase, and, lucky was it for me that I had a very small hand, totally unlike that of a man, or else it would have betrayed me.

"While I was seated on the divan, I maintained my new character extremely well; but when I began to walk, I experienced considerable embarrassment, and although I possessed