Page:A child of the Orient (IA childoforient00vakarich).pdf/109

 nor grace; and men cheat her of her freedom and youth.

Thus, knowing exactly what a halaïc was, I laughed at Sitanthy when, in answer to my question about the goddess of her garden, she replied: "It must be our halaïc—she is the only young woman in our household."

After I was entirely well again, I was permitted to go with Sitanthy to play in her garden. I went with great expectations; for I hoped that by daylight and with all the afternoon before me I could find out something about my goddess.

On entering the garden, the first person I encountered was she—and what I saw stabbed my heart. My goddess was harnessed to the old-fashioned wooden water-wheel at the well, and with eyes shut was walking round and round it, drawing up water.

We had a similar arrangement in our own garden, but it was a blindfolded donkey who did the work—not a goddess.

She was dressed in a loose, many-coloured bright garment, held in at the waist by a wide brass belt. A yellow veil was thrown over her head; her bare arms were crossed on her breast, and bathed in the light of that summer day, with eyes closed, she was doing this dreadful work, without apparent shame, without mortification.

On the contrary, she seemed unaware of the degradation of her work. She could not have