PTER XXVII

By degrees Jill had become accustomed to the habits of the East,
sleeping peacefully upon the cushion-laden perfumed divan, sitting upon
cushions beside the snow-white napery spread upon the floor for meals,
eating the curiously attractive Eastern dishes without a single pang
for eggs and bacon and golden marmalade, revelling in her Eastern
garments, from the ethereal under raiment to the soft loose trousers
clasped above her slender ankles by jewel-studded anklets, delighting
in the flowing cloaks and veils and over-robes and short jackets of
every conceivable texture, shape, and colour, passing hours in
designing wondrous garments, which in an incredibly short time she
would find in the scented cupboards of her dressing-rooms.

Then would she attire herself therein, and stand before her mirror
laughing in genuine amusement at the perfect Eastern picture reflected,
and drawing the veil over her sunny head, and the yashmak to beneath
her eyes, and a cloak about her body, would summon the Arab to her
presence.

Which shows that knowing nothing whatever about the Eastern character,
she merely added a hundredfold to her attractions, for if there is one
thing a man of the East has brought to perfection, it is his enjoyment
of procrastinating in his love-making, passing hours and days and
weeks, even months in touching the edge of the cup, until the moment
comes when, raising it to his lips, he drains it to the last drop.

To keep herself physically fit she had found strenuous recreation in
two ways. Firstly, she had made known that her wish was to learn
something of the dancing of the East, whereupon for a sum which would
have made Pavlova's slender feet tingle in astonishment, the finest
dancer in all Egypt and Asia had, for many months, taken up her abode
in the beautiful house especially built for honoured guests just
without the wall.

The supple, passionate Eastern woman found it in her soul to love the
slender white girl who laughed aloud in glee, and showed such amazing
aptitude in learning the A.B.C. of this language, especially reserved
in the East for the portrayal of the history of love and all its kin.
Presents were showered upon the teacher who, with the craft of the
Oriental mind, in some cases forbore to fully explain the meaning of
certain gestures, so that unintentionally a veritable lightning flash
of passion blazed about Jill's head one night, when with the innocent
desire of showing th