of the court, who announced that another
man and a woman demanded admittance
together.

"Admit them," said the magistrate.

"Both of them?" inquired the door-
keeper, in perplexity.

"Both of them," was the reply of
authority.

The complainants entered. The man,
grey-headed, and with obstinacy stamped
upon his countenance, regarded his companion
with threatening looks. His personal
appearance was very neglected. His camel's-
hair cord—the fillet tied round the temples to
fix the head-dress—had slipped down over
his eyebrows. His gestures were violent,
and his voice slightly hoarse. The woman
was still young, and very active. Her face
was agreeable, but full of cunning. Her
actions were abrupt, quick, and expressive of
great hostility towards the man. Her voice
was the sharpest and shrillest in all Algeria.
The two plaintiffs, the instant they entered
the audience-room, without waiting to be
questioned, began to perform a discordant
duet, whose course it was quite impossible
to check. The tenor voice at first took the
leading part.

"I am descended," it bewailed, from Sidi
"Calhha—Allah have mercy on his soul! I
am a marabout, a priest, aristocratic and
holy, a pure and respectable man, whose
praises you will hear from every mouth. I
should be the happiest of mortals, living in
prosperity and the public estimation, if I had
not an abominable wife, who makes me suffer
every imaginable tribulation."

"But," said the court, "if you go on talking
both at once, how do you suppose that I
can make out what you say? Make your
respective statements one at a time."

The irritation of the plaintiffs not permitting
them to hear the above observation, and
still less to shut their mouths, the conjugal
duo recommenced with renovated volubility
on either side, the husband's being still the
predominant melody.

"It is impossible to give you an idea of
her profligacy and of the infamous conduct
she every day practises. She robs me; she
squanders my property in company with
beggarly fellows who happen to win her favour.
She covers my tent with shame, and causes
every one to turn away from it with horror.
Not only does she plunder me and abandon
herself to debauchery; she even has the
hardihood to lift her hand against me, and to
beat me."

"In the name of heaven," cried the President,
"speak in your turn! It is easy enough
to perceive that you do not agree, but it is
quite impossible for me to distinguish the
complaints which you wish to make against
each other. Do you, woman, hold your tongue
for the present; you shall be heard after
your husband."

This eloquent address produced an effect,
the very reverse of what was intended; for,
instead of the duett being reduced to a simple
solo, it took the farm of a trio in the
correctest Italian-operatic style. The head
of the Arab bureau sang his part in
separate phrases after the fashion of
bassi-cantanti, such as Herr Formes and
Signor Lablache. The words assigned to his
music were these: "How can you expect me
to understand a word?"—"That is not the
way to state your case."—"But, at least,
listen to me one single moment."—"Pray,
hold your tongues, if only to take breath."—
"Remember, you are not in your own tent,
here."—"You are not allowed to howl at
each other in this way in a court of justice!"
And so on—da capo and bis. The tenor
sustained his part with a firm full chest, but
this time the lady got the upper-hand, and
her clear soprano voice made itself audible
above all.

"Can I," she warbled, "a woman esteemed
by all the world, of distinguished manners
and abilities, can I live any longer with such
a wretch, and serve as the victim of his
brutality? An infamous fellow, who compromises
my reputation, and raises a heap of
scandal against me! If he would only let
me be a little quiet at home in my tent,
gracious Allah! I am so good-natured, that
I would willingly make some excuse for him,
on account of our relationship; for, after all,
I cannot deny that the detestable creature is
my cousin —at least, so they tell me; for, to
judge from appearances, I should rather take
him to be the son of Satan than the son of
Sidi Calhha. What an abominable beggar!
Only conceive that, the other night, under
the pretence that the dinner was badly
cooked, he threw at my head the wooden
queça on which it stood, the earthenware
tadjin full of sauce, in short, whatever he
could lay his hands on, to the very wood from
off the fire. If a negress had not come to
my aid, I should certainly have been a
murdered woman. My body still bears the marks
of violence; and, if I could only show it you,
you would see what a state my back is in.
But I am far too highly-educated a woman
not to know that decency forbids my displaying
that portion of my personal charms."

"Silence!" roared the crier of the court,
in a voice of which no human sound can give
the slightest idea. The supernatural cry
produced its accustomed effect, which is the
same as that caused by a stone falling in the
midst of an orchestra of frogs.

"Make the woman leave the court," said
the president, immediately taking advantage
of the momentary silence, "and let the man
remain. Retire for an instant, my good
woman; I will send for you when I have
heard your husband. There is no other
means of finishing the case."

Here a scene of despair took place. The
fair plaintiff refused to quit, and protested so
fiercely as to compromise the windows. The