The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night
THE BOOK OF THE THOUSAND NIGHTS AND A NIGHT A Plain and Literal Translation of the Arabian Nights Entertainments Translated and Annotated by Richard F. Burton VOLUME FOUR To Foster Fitzgerald Arbuthnot. My Dear Arbuthnot, I have no fear that a friend, whose friendship has lasted nearly a third of a century, will misunderstand my reasons for inscribing his name upon these pages. You have lived long enough in the East and, as your writings show, observantly enough, to detect the pearl which lurks in the kitchen-midden, and to note that its lustre is not dimmed nor its value diminished by its unclean surroundings.
"Though it leaves me rather at the mercy of Sophia," she said, as she
went out to lunch.
Edward lifted an inquiring pair of eyes.
"Sophia is my new maid," explained his hostess. "Her ideas on the
subject of liberty and equality are extreme. Sometimes," she added
mournfully, "I am in doubt as to whether I have hired Sophia, or
Sophia has hired me."
The young people longed to exchange covert glances of amusement, but
this relief was denied them. It was no laughing matter to the stately
sufferer at the head of the table. Rose spoke in the decent accents of
sympathy and condolence, but her brother and friend were not profuse
of speech. The latter was thinking of possible explanations and
reconciliations that might arise through the frequent opportunities of
meeting with Edward, which a temporary residence under the same roof
would entail, and the former was feasting his beauty-loving eyes upon
a strikingly lovely picture on the other side of the table--the
picture of two heads, golden-yellow and raven-black, against the rich
background of a peacock-tinted tapestry screen.
They were much less picturesque in their winter wraps, as they whirled
away under the leafless trees, but they made up for it in merriment.
Edward and Helene were secretly glad of the presence of Rose. It was
THE BOOK OF THE THOUSAND NIGHTS AND A NIGHT A Plain and Literal Translation of the Arabian Nights Entertainments Translated and Annotated by Richard F. Burton VOLUME FOUR To Foster Fitzgerald Arbuthnot. My Dear Arbuthnot, I have no fear that a friend, whose friendship has lasted nearly a third of a century, will misunderstand my reasons for inscribing his name upon these pages. You have lived long enough in the East and, as your writings show, observantly enough, to detect the pearl which lurks in the kitchen-midden, and to note that its lustre is not dimmed nor its value diminished by its unclean surroundings.