So Fakredeen, with many tears, quitted his happy
home at Damascus, and proceeded to Beteddeen, the beautiful palace of
his uncle, situate among the mountains in the neighbourhood of Beiroot.
This was about the time that the Egyptians were effecting the conquest
of Syria, and both the Emir Bescheer, the head of the house of
Shehaab as well as Prince of the Mountain, and the great commercial
confederation of the brothers Besso, had declared in favour of the
invader, and were mainly instrumental to the success of Mehemet Ali.
Political sympathy, and the feelings of mutual dependence which
united the Emir Bescheer and the merchant of Damascus, rendered
the communications between the families so frequent that it was not
difficult for the family of Besso to cherish those sentiments of
affection which were strong and lively in the heart of the young
Fakredeen, but which, under any circumstances, depend so much on
sustained personal intercourse. Eva saw a great deal of her former
brother, and there subsisted between them a romantic friendship. He
was their frequent guest at Damascus and was proud to show her how he
excelled in his martial exercises, how skilful he was with his falcon,
and what horses of pure race he proudly rode.
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