hing," hastily exclaimed her
companion, horrified at the thought, "we should all be placed in a
dungeon and our pleasure ended."

Peddlers of dates, bearing their stock of fruit in huge baskets on their
backs and carrying scales in one hand, held up a sample of dates towards
us with the other hand; dealers in nuts in the same manner carried and
offered their wares to the passers-by; peddlers of "Turkish delight" and
other sweetmeats arranged the candies on their trays in an attractive
manner; and the sherbet sellers called attention to the pink liquid in
large glass bottles suspended on their backs. At each end of the bridge
were half a dozen toll collectors in long white overshirts who stood in
line across the way collecting the toll of ten paras, or one cent, from
each person that crossed.

"How clearly that dome and the two minarets stand out against the
sky," exclaimed one of the party, pointing to a great dome and two
delicate minarets with tapering peaks which rose above the buildings
directly in front of us on the other side of the bridge.

[Illustration: THIS STREAM FLOWING INTO THE BOSPORUS IS CALLED THE
GOLDEN HORN.]

"That is the Mosque where the Sultans and their families went to prayer
when they resided in the Seraglio near by. We will not stop at this
Mosque but will go directly to the Mosque of St. Sophia."

"Professor," said the lady who in Athens had confessed her ignorance of
history, "please give us some information about the church of St. Sophia
while we are grouped here together in front of the building."

The professor expressed his willingness to do so, provided we were
willing to take the time to listen.

"In the year 532 A.D.," said he, "Justinian, the Emperor of the Eastern
Roman Empire, decided to erect in Constantinople a church that should be
a glory to the city and an honor to his name. His desire was to build
one 'such as since Adam has never been seen,' a structure differing in
design from any Christian temple previously constructed and surpassing
in magnificence any temple that afterwards might be built. The empire
was then at the height of its power and glory, and Justinian, in
emulation of Solomon, made demands on all the countries under his
dominion for contributions of ivory, cedar, gold, silver, precious
stones, and the rarest marbles.

"In order to attain his ambitious design, the monarch robbed the Temple
of the Sun at Baalbek of columns of porphyry, despoiled the Temple