, an intelligent Turk, who
wore the full traditional costume of his people, and was a person of
some note, though not above receiving eight francs per day for his
services, it was interesting to observe the domestic arrangements, which
he assured us were similar to those of most of his neighbors. The rooms
were of various heights, and irregular in formation, requiring one to
constantly ascend or descend a couple of steps in passing from one room
to another, no two being of the same height,--a most incongruous
arrangement, the object of which was not apparent. The placing of the
windows in the dwelling also struck us as being very odd, until the
explanation that the design was to prevent being overlooked by one's
neighbors. The guide touched a secret spring and showed a door, where we
should not have supposed one to exist, leading into a dark, descending
passage to the rear and outside of the house. This, he explained, was
designed to afford an escape in case of emergency, and was only known to
the builder and himself. "All houses in Cairo have some such passages,"
he remarked. A few minutes later, in a dark corner, a secret door was
caused to open, half the size of the first, and to which he pointed
mysteriously. "And what is this for?" we asked. "It is to hide treasures
in, and to secrete one's self in haste, when desirable," he replied. One
would suppose that the universality of these architectural secrets would
rob them of all security or usefulness. There was one portion of the
house not open to us, which was, as may be supposed, the apartments
occupied by Mustapha's wives, of whom he acknowledged to have four
behind the latticed blinds of the overhanging balcony.

Although there are plenty of schools in Cairo, such as they are, only
boys are taught to read and write in them. Girls, even among the wealthy
classes, are not taught, as a rule, the simplest rudiments of education.
They, however, acquire some accomplishments of a domestic
character,--such as sewing, embroidery,--and often play upon some simple
musical instrument of a string character. We saw in Mustapha's house a
mandolin which was evidently used by the women of the harem.

The Mosque of Mehemet Ali, with its tapering minarets overlooking all
Cairo, was found to be quite a modern edifice, scarcely more than half a
century in age, but it is a very remarkable and beautiful structure,
and of great cost. The spacious building is lined throughout with
Orient