Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1883-02-12
THE TRAGEDY OF AN EGYPTIAN WIFE

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second class mRttrrl
THE TRAGEDY OF AN EGYPTIAN WIFE.
Fiiant Bay, who left Cairo last nigh,
tJanuary | in charge OF Il Circassian guard,
is more fortunate than Mahmoud Sami Bar.
ondi, his wife, who, although lady of rank
and supposed to have been subjected to pres
sure" in high quarters to induce her to re-
main III Cairo, persisted valiantly in her
resolution TO accompany her husband into
exile. The pretect of police, il is said was
sent 10 liitaat 10 urge many reasons why
she should not !orsakc her native land.
Was she aware kifaat Bey' destination was
Malta. II was Christian country, attempts
would he made to destroy her faith, TO
compel her to turn Christian To all this
Nine. Ritaata answer was the answer given
by Ruth long ago-where her husband
went she would go if he became a Christ
ian she would become one too his people
should be her people, his God her God.
Very touching, and, so far as the lady is
concerned, noble also. But whether Rifaat
Bey himself deserves to be the object of
such absolute devotion, an incident that oc-
Cured oil the platform last night gives one
cause TO doubt. Rifaat was calmly seated
III first class carriage, and the exile's i'm
passive dignity and calm whilst the sound
of women's wailings came from the waiting
room impressed one as quite heroic
whilst one was allowed TO bold the de-
Iusion that it signifed indifference to his
own mistortlIncs. In an adjoining carriage
were Nine. Riiaat and I female slave, both
ofthcm closely vclea and attired in the
black baggy gowns Egyptian ladies float
about in: mysterious balloons known to be
human only by the voices that proceed from
them. These ladies were silentan appear
ed naturally dspritcd; but two fine little
boys the eldest being about ten years of age
stood al the carriage window and talked
away chccrfuly in French to the European
visitors who had come to wish them good.
speed. Presently this impression offine for
tiudc, and brave acceptance of Danish
ment by whole family rather than that its
honored head should go forth solitary exile,
WAS woillly disturbed and the head Of the
family himself made to appear in anything
hnt an amiable light. From the black crowd
of wailing women in the distance suddenly
one woman broke throwing Off the grasp of
those who tried 10 hold her, and rushing up
TO kfaat her veil all torn and her beautiful
face one of the most beautiful | have ever
seem literally bathed in tears, cried. lin
truth with an exceedingly bitter cry y "For
the love of Heaven give me back my child!'
She spoke in Arabic: but her gestures and
her despair were so eloquent that
the English gentlemen round the car
riage started, and in delicate compass
sion drew back from her and let her plead
her cause as She might. But they had not
taken into consideration the high disdain
dignilied Oriental puts into his intercourse
with women. Ritaat Bey, who had cigar
cite in his mouth and continued smoking
while tie poor wild creature poured forth
her complaint, only took it ont of his mouth
to say one word, siSnilying, BE of with
you, and as "A hideous black Nuban came
up quickly, the Bcy nodded to him with the
same gesture with which he might have or
dercd the slave to brush away fly, and so
The poor woman was led away weeping
aloud and beating her breast. Then the
story was whispered round that this was Ri
faat's first wife, whom he had divorced.
But an Egyptian, like most Eastern, sets
great store by his sons, even though he has
grown to hate their mother and so Rifaat
carries away into exile The only child of
this poor deserted creature, whom should
Judge by her fair complexion and lovely
oval face, and also by her perfect knowledge
of French to have been n Crcassian slave:
chosen for her beauty and trained in accom-
pishments like the Fair Persian" in the
"Arabian Nights" and married, as the
"Fair Persian" herself was TO be thrown
aside as lightly. After all, the Nuban ell.
much would seem TO have reasoned with
| the poor mother more compassionately than
his llnattractive countenance promised for
| fto, Il, ,,,.t I,
ranged and only weeping quietly. She
and only stopped at the adjoining one. She
had brought sweetmeats with her for the
boy, and put them into his hands, and kiss
ed him, weeping while he accepted all her
fondness with placed Indifference which
led one almost to hope his stepmotber
might follow out the traditions of story
land and give him cause toregret the affect
ion he valued so lightly After few mo-
ments the Nubn came near the carriage
and seemed to remind the weeping woman
she had promised there should he no fresh
disturbance This time she walked back to
the other women quietly, and until the
train had started we saw no more Of her
Later, one ofthe slddest scenes / have ever
witness was that of the black -gowned
women round her, their guard of eunuchs
standing with clasped arms watching them
whilst they walled over her on the mono.
tonous note Egyptian women dwell npon in
lamentation. The divorced wife and
bereaved mother was distiuguishable by hel
torn white veil aud uncovered face, and also
by her silence. She seemed TO have ex.
hausted grief or at any rate her sense o
mourning, and sat there amongst the dark
figures almost rs though she were dead aud
these were the funeral guests invited to be