Page:Woman Triumphant.djvu/81

 twelve, sometimes less and sometimes more, and the preliminaries are entirely a business matter conducted by the nearest relatives with much ceremony. After a definite contract is



made it is then that the bride is permitted to see and speak to her future husband.

According to an article by Broughton Brandenburg about the district of Biskra, the night before the wedding the bride's hands and feet are steeped in henna, with which are stained the nails of all women who make any pretense of keeping up