iated by
making a fearful noise, and invited us to go and sleep at the Europe;
but we remembered the Archbishop's story and stood firm.

"If you don't leave us in peace we will appeal to the Governor."

"Do, do. Go to the Governor," said the old lady, her little girl, a
wry-mouthed charwoman and a little boy whom Jo had noticed stealing our
cigarettes. The dog joined in and barked vociferously.

We went to the Governor who was near by. "They don't understand
innkeeping here, and she is a drunken old slut," he said, and sent for
her husband.

We went defiantly again to the Europe for lunch.

Jo had been expressing her wish to Pavlovitch to visit a harem. He came
to tell us that it had been arranged, as the chief of the police was a
friend of his, and he had asked a rich Moslem to let her visit his
wives. The Moslem had graciously assented, saying that he would do it as
a great favour to the chief of the police, and that no "European" woman
had ever visited an Ipek harem.

We went down the broad street with its brilliant houses, admiring the
gaudy colours of the women's trousers. "What a pity," we said, "that
such a word as _loud_ was invented in the English language."

Outside a huge doorway were sitting the chief of police and the wealthy
Albanian. We were introduced with great ceremony, and the Moslem, losing
no time, took Jo through the doorway into a courtyard. At the end was
another door guarded by a responsible-looking Albanian. He stood aside,
and she entered another court full of trees and a basket-work hut. She
passed through the lower story, which was full of grain, and ascended
into a beautiful room with a seat built all round it.

It was entirely furnished with carpets. He waved his hand to the seat,
called to his wives much as a sportsman summons his dogs, and left.

They came in, three women, simply dressed in chemise and flowered cotton
bloomers. Their voices were shaking with excitement, and they were
fearfully upset because Jo got up to shake hands with them.

They only spoke Albanian, and a few words of Serb. One had been very
beautiful, but her teeth were decayed, another was a healthy-looking
young woman, and the third was frankly hideous.

They brought coffee, the chief wife presenting it with her hand across
her chest--a polite way of saying--

"I am your slave."

Jo spoke Serb, and they clearly said in Albanian--

"If only we could tell what you are saying."

After which every one