ed what it was all about. 'All about nothing; it is Ramadan with
them,' said Omar laughing. 'I want to quarrel with someone myself; it is
hot to-day, and thirsty weather.' Moreover, I think it injures the
health of numbers permanently, but of course it is the thing of most
importance in the eyes of the people; there are many who never pray at
ordinary times, but few fail to keep Ramadan. It answers to the Scotch
Sabbath, a comparison also borrowed from Sally.

_Friday_.--My friend Seleem Effendi has just been here talking about his
own affairs and a good deal of theology. He is an immense talker, and I
just put _eywas_ (yes) and _la_ (no) and _sahe_ (very true), and learn
manners and customs. He tells me he has just bought two black slave
women, mother and daughter, from a Copt for about 35 pounds the two. The
mother is a good cook, and the daughter is 'for his bed,' as his wife
does not like to leave Cairo and her boys at school there. It does give
one a sort of start to hear a most respectable magistrate tell one such a
domestic arrangement. He added that it would not interfere with the
_Sittel Kebeer_ (the great lady), the black girl being only a slave, and
these people never think they have children enough. Moreover, he said he
could not get on with his small pay without women to keep house, which is
quite true here, and women are not respectable in a man's house on other
terms. Seleem has a high reputation, and is said not to 'eat the
people.' He is a hot Mussulman, and held forth very much as a very
superficial Unitarian might do, evidently feeling considerable contempt
for the absurdities, as he thinks them, of the Copts (he was too civil to
say Christians), but no hatred (and he is known to show no partiality),
only he 'can't understand how people can believe such nonsense.' He is a
good specimen of the good, honest, steady-going man-of-the-world Muslim,
a strong contrast to the tender piety of dear Sheykh Yussuf, who has all
the feelings which we call Christian charity in the highest degree, and
whose face is like that of 'the beloved disciple,' but who has no
inclination for doctrinal harangues like worthy Seleem. There is a very
general idea among the Arabs that Christians hate the Muslims; they
attribute to us the old Crusading spirit. It is only lately that Omar
has let us see him at prayer, for fear of being ridiculed, but now he is
sure that is not so, I often find him praying in the room whe