He wore a plain, dark blue burnous, with the hood up, and his
chin and mouth were covered by the lower folds of the small veil which
fell from his turban, as if he were riding in the desert against a wind
storm. It would have been impossible even for a friend to recognize him,
and the two women in their white veils were like all native women of
wealth and breeding in Algiers. Hsina was crying, and Fafann, who
expected to go with her mistress, was insufferably important. Victoria
felt that she was living in a fairy story, and the wearing of the veil
excited and amused her. She was happy, and looked forward to the journey
itself as well as to the journey's end.
There were few people in the railway station, and Victoria saw no
European travellers. Maieddine had taken the tickets already, but he did
not tell her the name of the place to which they were going by rail. She
would have liked to ask, but as neither Si Maieddine nor Lella M'Barka
encouraged questions, she reminded herself that she could easily read
the names of the stations as they passed.
Soon the train came in, and Maieddine put them into a first-class
compartment, which was labelled "reserved," though all other Arabs were
going second or third. Fafann arranged cushions and haicks for Lella
M'Barka; and at six o'clock a feeble, sulky-sounding trumpet blew,
signalling the train to move out of the station.
Victoria was not sleepy, though she had lain awake thinking excitedly
all night; but Lella M'Barka bade her rest, as the day would be tiring.
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