"They are desolated at the thought of having incurred your sublimity's displeasure."
"Tell them that they had no business to come unless I sent for them," said Mole.
"They say, O magnificent pasha, that, hearing of your arrival, they have come thither in the name of themselves, and the other eleven ladies of his late highness's harem, to know when it will be your princely pleasure to bid them cast aside the sombre weeds of widowhood, and——"
"There, cut it short, dragoman; do you mean that they really expect me to marry the whole lot of them?"
"Precisely so, your eminence; even now the most reverend imaum of the town is ready to perform the ceremonial."
"He'll have to wait a long time if he waits for that," cried Mole; "thirteen wives, indeed, and these you say are the youngest of the lot. I suppose they have no objection to allow me to behold the moonshine of their resplendent features. That's the way to put it, I believe, old man."
Abdullah answered—
"It is against Turkish etiquette to unveil before the solemn ceremony has been performed; nevertheless, their ladyships consent to remove one of their veils, through which you may behold their features."
Alme and Hannifar accordingly threw back their outer black veils, and appeared with the white ones underneath.
Mole scrutinized them as well as he could, but he took very good care not to go too near.