dance. Perhaps they will let us see how she is dressed. Her head is
covered with a head-dress of pink gauze, embroidered with gold thread
and purple chenille, and ornamented with pearl beads and artificial
flowers, and over all a long white gauze veil trimmed with lace. Her
ear-rings are gold filigree work with pendant pearls, and around her
neck is a string of pure amber beads and a gold necklace. She wears a
jacket of black velvet, and a gilt belt embroidered with blue, and
fastened with a silver gilt filigree buckle in the form of a bow knot
with pendants. On her finger is a gold ring set with sapphire, and
others with turquoises and amethysts. Her dress is of brown satin, and
on her arms are solid gold bracelets which cost 1400 piastres or
fifty-six dollars. You know Handûmeh is not a rich girl, and her
betrothed is a hard working muleteer, and he has had to work very hard
to get the money to buy all these things, for it is the custom for the
bridegroom to pay for the bride's outfit. The people always lay out
their money in jewelry because it is easily carried, and easily buried
in time of civil wars and troubles in the land. Shaheen's brothers and
relatives have come to take her to Abeih, but he is nowhere to be seen.
It would not be proper for him to come to her house. For weeks she has
not been over to Abeih, except to invite us to her wedding, and when
Anna asked her on what day she was to be married, she professed not to
know anything about it. They think it is not modest for a bride to care
anything about the wedding, and she will try to appear unwilling to go
when they are ready to start. The women are singing now:

Dance, our bride so fair,
Dance and never care;
Your bracelets sing, your anklets ring,
Your shining beauty would dazzle a king!
To Damascus your father a journey has made,