These
are the children of a sister of Hillel Besso, brought to Damascus for
change of air. Their mother is also here, sitting at the side of Eva: a
soft and pensive countenance, watching the children with her intelligent
blue eyes, or beckoning to them with a beautiful hand.
The men in general remained on their legs apart, conversing as if they
were on the Bourse.
Now entered, from halls beyond of less dimensions, but all decorated
with similar splendour, a train of servants, two of whom carried between
them a large broad basket of silver filigree, filled with branches of
the palm tree entwined with myrtle, while another bore a golden basket
of a different shape, and which was filled with citrons just gathered.
These they handed to the guests, and each guest took a branch with the
right hand and a citron with the left. The conversation of Besso with
Elias Laurella had been broken by their entrance, and a few minutes
afterwards, the master of the house, looking about, held up his branch,
shook it with a rustling sound, and immediately Eva was at his side.
The daughter of Besso wore a vest of white silk, fitting close to her
shape and descending to her knees; it was buttoned with large diamonds
and restrained by a girdle of pearls; anklets of brilliants peeped
also, every now and then, from beneath her large Mamlouk trousers of
rose-coloured silk that fell over her slippers, powdered with diamonds.
Pages:
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560
561
562
563
564