bunches of freshly-gathered blue violets, stood on a low stool in the center of the matted floor, and filled the air with their pleasant odor. I expressed my admiration of these flowers to Samâan, and he said, "Lady, I will bring you a sweeter and more precious flower." He went away, and presently returned with his little granddaughter, Zahra, which signifies flower, held lovingly in his arms. She was a pretty child of about four years of age, but as serious and composed as a woman. She wore smooth, ruby-colored glass bracelets on her wrists, which had been put on many months before, and were now too small to pass over her chubby little hands.
These glass bracelets are often obliged to be carefully broken before they can be removed from the arms of young children, for they are simple rings of various colors, and made without any fastening.
I asked Zahra where the violets grew. She said, "They came up out of the ground under the lemon-trees, for the ladies. They come only now, they are not there always."
I said, "What do the ladies do with the violets?" "The ladies put them in their head-dresses, and are glad, because they have a sweet smell." But one of the guests said, "The little one has not yet learned that these flowers are dried in the sun, and then used for making tea for those who are sick of fever."
As we left the house, one said to us, "Come into the garden where the violets grow." We followed him, and went into a spacious inclosure, where lemon, citron, orange, and quince trees made a pleasant shade, and apple and almond trees were full of blossoms. The ground was completely carpeted with the clustering heart-shaped leaves of the violet, and sprinkled with its blue blossoms. I have seen them in our own wild-wood walks, crowding lovingly together in groups, or springing up round the trunks of ancient trees, but I never saw such a profusion of these sweet flowers as I did then in that Nablûs garden. We could not move a step without crushing the tender leaves
