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TANGIERS 109
quite presentable. And you feel a desire to attempt
the impossible, namely, to speak to these outcast crea-
tures face to face and ask them whether they believe
in Allah—although they have no souls of their own—
and whether they do not feel it a deprivation to be
forbidden to pray to him in the mosque. Or whether
they do not know, perchance, that it will be possible for
them to attain the Paradise of the faithful if their
husbands are willing to dispense with a few of their
celestial spouses to the advantage of their terrestrial
brides? Perhaps they know all this and are neverthe-
less confident of securing admission to Heaven, because
they are women, and because, being women, they have
faith in men. Could it be any particular hardship for
Pasha, for example, if he should renounce eight out of
the seventy-two beauties which are destined for him
after death, in order by this generous act to secure
admission to Paradise for his eight wives on earth?
Even if he should have had more than enough of them
here below and should be no longer capable of tolerat-
ing the sight of them he might nevertheless take so
generous a step, for he would still have sixty-four new
wives. Yet, it is hard to say what Pasha will do about
it. And besides, do women set any great store on
getting into Heaven, anyway?
Not much has been done in the way of instruction in
the school-room in Morocco, but there are a few
schools. One I found in Tangiers in one of the nar-
rowest little streets of the city. Here were eight or
ten little mites from the most wealthy Moorish fami-
lies crouching on the stone floor, rattling off their
Koran. They are dressed like grown-ups, in a red fez,
white burnous, and yellow slippers. Their slight limbs
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