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tributed to all the visitors; and when a garland of white, sweet-smelling flowers is thrown over our necks, we must then arise and depart. Let us, however, contrive to stop till the last, for such a zeafut, does not every day occur !"

My acquaintance was right in what he said: an attendant came round with a silver tray, containing small bottles of otto of roses, resting on gold-embroidered kerchiefs, which, with the "attr," was reverently presented to each honoured guest. A garland, composed of flowers of the perfumed mungrey, or white sweet-smelling jessamine of the East, was then placed around his neck, and every one took leave of our hospitable and princely host.

The way of exit was through a long corridor or passage, whose entrance lay immediately beneath the "gilded cage," where the wing of the "bulbul" had appeared; and Shumsheer-ul-Deen, who was seemingly an adept in such proceedings, contrived, as he had proposed, to loiter to the last in the festive hall.

My suspicions being aroused, I was also upon the alert; and as we entered the cor

ridor, a rose-bud fell from above, between Shumsheer and myself. The embroidered muslin he had just received, dropped instantly from the young Emir's hand; he stooped to recover it, and the rose-bud disappeared!

CHAPTER IX.

A FAIR MESSENGER.

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And trust no agent; for beauty is a witch,
Against whose charms, faith melteth into blood."
Much Ado about Nothing.

On the night following the events described in the preceding chapter, I was, in company with my friend Staunton, seated under the shelter of our verandah, enjoying the refreshing coolness of the evening breeze; and as we inhaled the aroma of our cheroots, were talking over what had occurred the night before, at Shumsul-Oomrah's feast.

"This new friend of yours, this 'Sword of the Faith,'" observed Staunton, "appears to be quite a Don Juan in his own way; however, I hope he will mind what he is about; for if he does not get into a scrape himself, he may be the means of causing something unpleasant to happen in the zenanah of Shums-ul-Oomrah,

who is said to possess the largest assortment of beautiful women in his harem, of any of the dissolute nobles of Hyderabad; with whom I believe vices the most odious, and sensuality in its grossest shape, are daily practised, to a degree of which we can form but a very faint idea."

"But," asked I, "are these fellows really as bad as we are led to suppose ?"

"I can assure you, my dear fellow, that they are; and ten times worse than can be well conceived. I am acquainted with that strange, nondescript fellow, Captain Darkish : the half-caste officer who is so much about the Nizam's Court; and who boasts of having the drilling of the Zuffur Pultun' of Gardunnees.* He and the rich and hospitable merchant at Chudderghaut, to whom I have so frequently offered to introduce you, and who—when in the Khulwut' of his zenanah-in manners and customs is almost a native; both these gentlemen have given me details of Life in Hyderabad,' which, but for the authentic sources of my information, I would never have credited."

*

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Literally meaning the "victorious battalions of the Guards."

"Can it be possible!" observed I.

" All

this is very bad; and to be obliged to sit during a whole evening in boon companionship with such a set of miscreants, is still worse!

"But do you think that my friend Mr. Shumsheer, who is really a well-informed, agreeable young fellow; and who, by the by, I have invited to come and pay me a visit; do you think that he can have been guilty of those odious vices to which you allude?"

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Possibly not," replied Staunton, for although having the reputation of being one of the most confirmed roués of this modern Sybaris, he is yet rather too young to be addicted to practices so much in vogue with those more matured and "blazéd " libertines, who have often recourse to expedients of very questionable propriety, in order to create any new means of excitement by which they may be aroused."

"You give," observed I, " a very pleasant picture of Oriental life! and as I understand, this new appointment of mine in the Nizam's service, will throw me a great deal amongst the natives; I am therefore, in my new career, likely to have nice associates!".

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