Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1885-03-30
LIFE IN PERSIA.
An English Doctor is Sent For by
Some Persian Ladies'.

Some Persian Ladies.
From the st. James Gazette.1
Doctors are privileged persons. Possibly
on his first visit, or if his patient be the wife
of holy man, she may be veiled; bat after
ward the veil is cast aside. One great char
acteristic of the Persian is his curiosity;
among Persian women it is developed in an
intense degree. And that is why it is that
the doctor is SO often sent for.
I have been summoned to the house of
Persian grandee. In Difference to Oriental
prejudice I have discarded my linen cutaway
coat, which, from its shortness, is considered
indelicate, and substituted for it the profess
sional black cloth frock.
Hearts Delight! Hearts Delight" shouts
our guide, as he reaches grimy curtain, at
the same time signalling me by wave of the
hand to advance no further. A scuttling of
slippered feet is heard and Hearts Delight,
hideous negress of middle age, dressed in
clean and bright print garments, raises the
curtain.N he name of God, YOU are vel
come; yotr have been expected. One min
ute, sahib till I inform our lady" grins the
black slave woman. The curtain falls and
in the half darkness of the passage the por-
ter gazes at me and 1 gaze at the porter.
''Negresses are the daughters of burnt faith
ers,' he remarks. To which reply, Eyes,
yes" as is the custom in the East on hearing
a self-evident proposition. Now we are
aware of considerable commotion and shrill
voices from behind the curtain and, before
can be enlightened further by the door por
ter on the subject of the daughters of burnt
fathers, the curtain IS again raised, this time
to admit us. ''Welcome, sahib Pray en-
ter. May your footsteps be fortunate'' Our
guide, the sooty Hearts Delight precedes us.
Na Of +bo ,,rincir,al
ment, the windows of which look down upon
the whole length of the hauz. I cast off my
galoshes at the door, but retain my head
gear, for to remove it w uld be the height of
tudeness. Hearts Delight motions me to
seat on chair (the only chair; Persians sit
on the ground) at the head of the room,
When I say that the interior of this apart
ment resembles the halls of the Alhambra
court at the Crystal Palace, as they appeared
in their first splendor before the great ire
there, exactly describe it. A priceless cal
pet, surrounded by felt edgings, two inches
thick and yard wide, appears like lovely
but subdued picture artfully set in a sombre
frame. In the recesses of the walls many
bouquets in glass vases. The one great win
dow-a miracle of intricate carpentry some
twenty feet by twenty-blazes with geo
metrical pattern of tiny pieces of glass,
forming one gorgeous mosaic. Three of the
3ashes of this window are thrown up to ad-
llllt alt. bHO CO1OTSu SldSS Ol LEO Top al1O 1OuI
remaining sashes effectually shut out excess
of light.
The frou-frou of silk is heard Three Ia
dies enter the room. Their feet and legs are
bara to the knee, for they have cast off their
shoes at the door; but all the rest of them is
shrouded i'll a large sheet of dark blue silk,
the outer veil of the Persian lady& Grace
fully they sink down into heaps in semi
circle opposite us. ''Salaam, sahib. You
welcome. Tea, tea for the sahibr' I
respond in the customary way and inquire
after the health of my veiled hostesses.
Only one replies, in confident tone-sbe
is evidently of middle age and self-pos-
sessed. The other two blue heaps shake
with inward mirth, but silent. ''It
cannot be, it is too hot' the lady contin-
ues, as she casts off her dark-blue envel-
ope-an example Immediately followed by
her companions.
Hearts Delight hastily folds up the three
veils and plump, middle-aged lady, very
comely and her two innocent-looking daugh-
ters, handsome young women, fair any
English girl. with round chubby faces and
magnificent eyes, are disclosed to view in all
the splendor of the Persian -lady's-iadooF
dress. The costume of all is the same vary
ing only in colors, and these are of the gray
est; short and voluminous skirts of silk
much bouffe, reaching TO the knee; shirts
(the Persian word, like the French cEemise
is applied to the garment of both sexes) of
transparent silk gauZe; tiny Z0uave. jackets
of gaily embroidered velvet, just covering
the shoulders and the top of the back (of
these the sleeves unbuttoned from the ell
bow, hanging down and showing the gay lin
ings of pale ,colored but brilliant silk; the
top OF the head and the ears are hidden by
gorgeous silk kerchiefs embroidered in gold:
and there is no more clothing to describe
unless the numerous bracelets of the bangle
form, of gold and of glass, which jangle as
the ladies move their arms, may be called
clothes.
The ladies chat; the younger ones only to
each other in an undertone, for maiden mod
esty prevents their addressing the doctor;
but they giggle and litter good deal, and
are duly reproved for it by the elder lady
Tea in delicate old china cups is served; we
al smoke hubble bubbles, and four of them
are brought by Hearts Delight and three
other black female slaves. Presently I hear
4 titteripg behind ME, turn, and instantly
here is dead silence as bright curtain of
shot silk quickly falls, but not before have
observed an amused bevy of gayly dressed
women and children. Excuse Them, DIR. |
5ahib; they are SO dull, SO dull"
Conversation turns upon the curious GUS |
oms of Europeans. 1 am asked if I am |
married. I have to admit that 1 am not, |
md am duly pitied. But then, ''After all,
Tou are right. Where there is a woman |
here is discord," says my hostess. More |
ea; more pipes Sweet cakes, confectionery |
md conserves are handed; iced sherbet, in |
glass tumblers, gilt and of gaudy |
,olcrs, is served. l insinuate something to |
he effect that this is professional visit; my |
hostess smiles. I repeat the remark, and |
hen the lady, rising to bid farewell, replies. /
we were dull; we were bored; you have
us. Wallah!"-with a little laugh |
81 have forgotten why sent for you.
Your footsteps, however, have been fortu-
for hearts are longer sad -
So here was an end of my visit. We shook (
ands heartily and the lady gave ma a huge |
ouquet of narcissus as I left. AS I rode |
ONE through the g]aring streets 1 felt all |
be more clearly that had been merely sent
DE- ont of curiosity. But the handsome lit
e carpet 1 afterward received as fee recon
lied me to the experience, and caused me to
amember that it is not in Persia alone that |
,dies summon a doctor simply because they
re hnraH L