My Speaking Of The Husband, By-The-Bye, Reminds Me That He Was
Extremely Backward About The Great Work Of Recovering His Youthful
Bride.
The relations of the girl, who felt themselves disgraced by
her conduct, were vehement and excited to a high pitch, but the
Menelaus of Nablus was exceedingly calm and composed.
The fact that it was not technically my duty to interfere in a
matter of this kind was a very sufficient, and yet a very
unsatisfactory, reason for my refusal of all assistance. Until you
are placed in situations of this kind you can hardly tell how
painful it is to refrain from intermeddling in other people's
affairs - to refrain from intermeddling when you feel that you can
do so with happy effect, and can remove a load of distress by the
use of a few small phrases. Upon this occasion, however, an
expression fell from one of the girl's kinsmen which not only
determined me against the idea of interfering, but made me hope
that all attempts to recover the proselyte would fail. This
person, speaking with the most savage bitterness, and with the
cordial approval of all the other relatives, said that the girl
ought to be beaten to death. I could not fail to see that if the
poor child were ever restored to her family she would be treated
with the most frightful barbarity. I heartily wished, therefore,
that the Mussulmans might be firm, and preserve their young prize
from any fate so dreadful as that of a return to her own relations.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 281 of 325
Words from 77036 to 77296
of 89094
