LITERATURE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5035, 23 June 1884, Page 3

LITERATURE.

A FAIR INVESTMENT. (Truth.) (Continued.) I was the first of the outside world who was favoured with a sight of thia paragon — for rumour had, by now, invested her with transcendent charms and accomplish- „ ments. Her dress was reported to be of fe the richest Oriental magnificence, and her person blazing with jewels. Therefore, when Dick did, at last, ask me to dine with him, I felt very grateful for and flattered by the preference shown me. Being a bachelor, and amenable to no feminine code of law, I readily accepted his invitation. I was much disappointed at finding the dinner was served by the old housekeeper. It was a comfortable little meal, except that it comprised some horrible composition which Dick called " pillau," and insisted, upon my tasting. But there was no sign as yet that the master meant to fulfil his promise of allowing me to inspect his extraordinary purchase. The dessert was placed on the table, the coffee was brought in, but Dick said nothing about his slave. The evening was fast slipping away ; bo, at the risk of 'offending him, I asked : — " Where is the fair Circassian ?" " Oh, my slave," said Dick, as carelessly as if a slave was as common in a house as a sideboard. "If you would really like to see her, I will Bummon her." I begged he would do bo at once, whereupon he struck a small hand-bell three times. " Quite after the style of Monte Crißto," I thought. Then the door opened and the Circassian entered. She was a tall young woman, and wore loose trousers and a short jacket— the Turkish style of ladies' attire, I concluded. Her face I could not see, as it was half-covered with a gauzy sort of veil. On her head was a scarlet cap, richly embroidered with gold, and Turkish slippers covered her feet. Altogether Bhe was a very romantic and picturesque creature. She stood in the centre of the room, with eyes cast down and bended head, awaiting modestly and humbly the commands of the superior being whose hard cash had bought her. It was quite a touching sight, and had I not known that Mr Rushout was such a thoroughly good-hearted fellow, I must have pitied the poor girl. " Does she understand English P " I whispered. "Not a word. I have been trying to teach her. Somehow she seems to have no power of grasping any language but her own. I cau only make her understand at all by signs and a few words of Turkish I picked up. You may say what you like, she will be none the wiser." " Then make her sit down ; tell her to take that affair off her face. I want to look at her. Besides, it makes a fellow feel deuced awkward with a girl standing' up like that. It doesn't seem natural or polite." Dick rose, and taking a large sofa cushion, placed it on the rug between us. He then motioned his slave towards it. She seated herself in an attitude by no means ungraceful. My interest in Dick'B purchase was rapidly increasing. Her master mumbled a few words, the only one of which I could catch was "yashmak." The slave bowed her head n.ud removed her veil. Then, with intense curiosity, I proceeded to scan the features of a real, live, and warranted Circassian •girl, bought and sold for a heap of money iv Stamboul market.

lam no judge of Circassian slaves. I have not seen enough of them — probably I never shall — but if Uushout's purchase was a fair sample of the bulk of that interesting marketable commodity, 1 cr.n ouly regretfully say that aiiothiT foil'] nllus-ion of my youth was dispelUO, like ir.iMy others, by contact with mtfiiy. Tlio ;; : il wna not bad-lookhifc, but I. eouM hs\ o *"o'.ukl a dozen handsoinw women iii :i. very short wall:. Although she had tho-o features which aVo icli>n<ifi<'d v/ i ' 1 • lit"" ii aco blue

'.'V.;.:, iiiul .i'.;ii p lii.ii 1 , !...;■ i.-iiji^k'xioii was Di'tiiiny la boast of, and her face was of a commonplace typ\ Hit ago, so far as 1 could judgo, imv;t have been, at*

"teast, twenty-six— most' likely twenty-eight or twenty-nine. She waa above middle height. Her feet were of a substantial size. Her hands, at which lat once looked, expecting to find fingers terminating in the traditional almond-3haped nails, were decidedly red and rather coarse. To Bum her up in a short phrase, she was a ▼cry ordinary young woman, and as I studied her appearance, all romance, which had hitherto surrounded her, fled j my ■only thought being, " What an ass Dick Eushout has made of himself, to be sure l" That gentleman, after getting, not without terrible exertion, a sort of infernal machine, he called a chibouk, in smoking order, handed his property a cup of coffee and a cigarette. With the contented complaisance of proprietorship, he sat looking .at his fair investment, v.h >, in a most Imowing manner, wafted the wreaths of .smoke from her lips and at intervals sipped her mocha. "Well, and what do you think of Zuleika ? " he asked me at last. . " Sure she doesn't understand what we say?" " Not a word. I only wish she did. Say exactly what you think." So I commenced appraising the pro-

perty. " She is not so beautiful as I expected to find her," was my first candid criticism. " Ah, hers is the true Circassian type of "beauty. It takes a little time to get accustomed to it, and to fully realise it." "Perhapa so," I said doubtfully, " although. I have found, until now, that beautiful women of all nations appeal to me without the trouble of acquiring a taste. I thought Circassians were so white, but her hands and face are — well, reddish. Is her Bkin very white ? " " How tho devil should I know ?" asked Dick, angrily, and puffing at his chibouk until Be grew almost black in the face. I gave him a little time to recover himself. "How old ia she?" waa my next question. " The merchant swore she was juat sixteen, but I can't help thinking she is a little older. I'll try and ask her in Turkish." He mumbled away until the slave seemed to catch the drift of his question. She answered it by signs. Three times she held up one hand with outstretched fingers, then once more with three fingers. " Eighteen, she means," said her master. "I expect that's about right." I was amused to find that, when a question of age is mooted, women, all the world over, are tho same. I told Dick so. " Well," he said, " perhaps she doesn't know exactly. I don't suppose they keep registers of birth in Circassia." " Probably not ; but register or not, 111 eat my hat if that girl ever sees twentysix again. To tell you the truth, Dick, I believe you have been taken in. Send her back and sell her at a sacrifice, or teach her English and get her a situation as a housemaid. Hand her over to the philanthropists, o» exhibit her at the Westminster Aquarium or some place of that sort." I suppose the natural acuteness of women told the Circassian I was disparaging her charms. In spite of her utter ignorance of our language, no doubt she guessed the tenor of my remarks. I noticed a gleam -- of anger in her blue eyes, and could have sworn she was gritting her teeth. Dick was almost as angry at my criticisms as his slave would have been had they been intelligible to her. He made Zuleika a signal to retire, and, when we were alone, said : — "TouhavenosouL You are cramped by petty provincial bonds. Ton cannot appreciate true nature when you see it. I think it will be perfectly delightful to be waited upon by a creature like that, when I have trained her to her duties. She is having holiday time now, to get accustomed to her new home. But you wait and see." "Anyway," I retorted, "you will find her an awful nuisance by and by. When you get tired of this new curiosity, you can't hang her up to a nail like other trophies of your travels, and think no more about her. Selling slaves in England is not legal." (To be contiuned.)