ed to me. The
ugly girl started on her feet and became the 'serpent of old Nile,'--the
head, shoulders and arms eagerly bent forward, waist in, and haunches
advanced on the bent knees--the posture of a cobra about to spring. I
could not call it _voluptuous_ any more than Racine's _Phedre_. It is
_Venus toute entiere a sa proie attachee_, and to me seemed tragic. It
is far more realistic than the 'fandango,' and far less coquettish,
because the thing represented is _au grande serieux_, not travestied,
_gaze_, or played with; and like all such things, the Arab men don't
think it the least improper. Of course the girls don't commit any
indecorums before European women, except the dance itself. Seyyid Achmet
would have given me a fantasia, but he feared I might have men with me,
and he had had a great annoyance with two Englishmen who wanted to make
the girls dance naked, which they objected to, and he had to turn them
out of his house after hospitably entertaining them.

Our procession home to the boat was very droll. Mme. Mounier could not
ride an Arab saddle, so I lent her mine and _enfourche'd_ my donkey, and
away we went with men running with 'meshhaals' (fire-baskets on long
poles) and lanterns, and the captain shouting out 'Full speed!' and such
English phrases all the way--like a regular old salt as he is. We got
here last night, and this morning Mustapha A'gha and the Nazir came down
to conduct me up to my palace. I have such a big rambling house all over
the top of the temple of Khem. How I wish I had you and the chicks to
fill it! We had about twenty _fellahs_ to clean the dust of _three
years_' accumulation, and my room looks quite handsome with carpets and a
divan. Mustapha's little girl found her way here when she heard I was
come, and it seemed quite pleasant to have her playing on the carpet with
a dolly and some sugar-plums, and making a feast for dolly on a saucer,
arranging the sugar-plums Arab fashion. She was monstrously pleased with
Rainie's picture and kissed it. Such a quiet, nice little brown tot, and
curiously like Rainie and walnut-juice.

[Picture: Luxor, by Edward Lear, showing Lady Duff Gordon's house, now
destroyed]

The view all round my house is magnificent on every side, over the Nile
in front facing north-west, and over a splendid range of green and
distant orange buff hills to the south-east, where I have a spacious
covered terrace. It is