Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 21, 1910.djvu/333

 Marriage Customs of the Bedtt and Fellahin. 295

is less assured of protection. She may even be beaten by her husband with the same freedom as the woman of the same class in England and elsewhere, so long as serious injury is not inflicted, — in which case her family must interfere. " The flesh belongs to the husband, but the bones to the clan," is an aphorism commonly recognised. The family, however, will not encourage her to apply for divorce, as they would have to return half of the bridal price. If the husband divorces her, he receives nothing back. The village Shech is sometimes called upon to interfere in cases of incompatibility, and he counsels the pair like a local magistrate.

My own experience, and I could give man}' illustra- tions, is that even in the Fellah house "the grey mare is generally the best horse," and divorce in this class is very rare. The Fellah, unlike the Bedawi and townsman, as has been already said, is not averse from polygamy, and so has not the excuse which in their case sometimes leads to divorce, — i.e. failure of offspring.

Divorce for misconduct such as comes into our own courts is unknown, and even serious incompatibility (generally among the harem) seldom leads to more than separation. The wife merely returns to her family, taking her personal property with her, and perhaps a sheep or two, and, amongst the Bedu, a camel,, in addition. The law of divorce requires that, in case the pair should wish to re-unite, she must marry some one else in the interval.

So, for the most part with fair confidence, we may leave our bridal pair to be happy ever after.

A. M. Spoer.