Angels and Women (1924)

86 ANGELS AND WOMENscriptions, and tinted images that rivalledtheir living models, everywhere met the eye;while through tessellated footpaths and carriage-wayspressed an expectant throng,who knelt upon the ground and hailed themonarch’s arrival with shouts of adulation.As the chariot halted before the mostsuperb of the corner towers, where gaycourtiers stood in waiting, Satanas liftedSamoula in his arms. Together they floatedrather than walked up the marble stairway,and vanished from sight in the broad illuminatedhall. I followed in great bewilderment.There was no abrupt sound or motion,like retreating footsteps, only the noiselessglide of a serpent.Through long corridors, where gilded pillarsupheld the vaulted ceiling, we were escortedto apartments in the northern tower.Here every imaginable luxury awaited us,and obsequious slaves stood ready to anticipateour wants. The chambers appropriatedto Samoula exceed the wildest dreams of