DISMISS WALLATA GABRIEL. 339 



turn her away at once ; whilst Walderheros expostu- 

 lated with her paramour, among other severe 

 things, asking him if he were not ashamed to 

 intrude in such a manner when the holla halt (the 

 master of the house) was not at home. 



About an hour after I had dismissed Wallata 

 Gabriel, an old lady, a relation of Walderheros, 

 made her appearance, bringing some of the sweetly- 

 scented herb called Err-guftah, as a memolagee. 

 On requesting to know what she required, a long 

 apologizing palliating intercession, of no ordinary 

 character, was made for my delinquent house- 

 keeper. She attributed my severity, she said, 

 entirely to my not knowing Abyssinian customs, 

 and turning to Walderheros, who sat on the raised 

 rim of the hearth, stirring up the dry ashes with 

 a stick, she upbraided him for not raising his 

 voice in the behalf of his lawful wife. I was 

 determined she should not return, and was dis- 

 missing the mediatrix with a positive refusal, when 

 Walderheros looked at me with a most grievous 

 expression of countenance, and lifted up the top of 

 the straw bread-basket, to intimate, by its empty 

 condition, how badly we should be off for dinner 

 if I persisted in not recalling his wife. I could 

 not help smiling, and the old lady, seeing me 

 relent, put her head out of the door, and called out 

 " Wallata Gabriel !" two or three times. The fair 

 penitent very soon appeared, for she had been sitting 

 in the lane all the time, and came tripping in, 

 z 2 



