150 THE ETRUSCAN VASE
" He does not trouble himself much about literature ; but you know, of course, that Arabian literature is entirely romantic. They have a poet called Melek Ayatalnefous-Ebn-Esraf, who has recently pubhshed a book of Meditations, compared with which Lamartine's read like classic prose. I took lessons in Arabic directly I got to Cairo, in order to read the Koran. I did not need to have many lessons before I was able to judge of the supreme beauty of the prophet's style, and of the baldness of all our translations. Look here, would you like to see Arabian handwriting? This word in gold let- ters is Allah, which means God."
As he spoke he showed them a very dirty letter, which he took out of a scented silk purse.
" How long were you in Egypt? " asked The- mines.
" Six weeks."
And the traveller proceeded to hold forth on everything from beginning to end. Saint- Clair left soon after his arrival, and went in the direction of his country house. The impetuous gallop of his horse prevented him from thinking consecutively, but he felt vaguely that his hap- piness in life had gone forever, and that it had been shattered by a dead man and an Etruscan vase.
