Her hand encountered a dry and writhing life, closed upon it firmly but gently, drew it out and towards her.  Then she opened her eyes, and saw that she had taken from the dark a serpent that was black with markings of a dull orange colour.  It twisted itself in her hand, as if trying to escape, but as she held it firmly it presently became quieter, lifted itself, reared up its flat head, and seemed to regard her with its feverish and guilty eyes, which were like the eyes of something consciously criminal that must always be unrepentant.  She looked at those eyes, and she felt a strong sympathy for the creature, and no sense of fear at all.  Slowly she brought it nearer to her, nearer, nearer, till it wavered out from her hand and attained her body.

The darweesh always stood before her, but the expression in his eyes had changed, was no longer hypnotic and terrible, but rather deeply observant.  Baroudi sat quite still upon the divan.  He looked from Mrs. Armine to the serpent, then looked again at her.  And she, feeling these two men absolutely concentrated upon her, was happy and at ease.  Swiftly the serpent wound itself about her, and, clinging to her waist, thrust forth the upper part of its body towards the darweesh, shooting out its ribbon of a tongue, which quivered like something frail in a draught of wind.  It lowered and raised itself several times, rhythmically, as if in an effort to obey the whining music and to indulge in a dancing movement.  Then, as a long shrill note was held, it again reared itself up, till its head was level with Mrs. Armine’s ear, and remained there quivering, and turning itself slowly from side to side with a flexibility that was abominable and sickening.  The music ceased.  There was a moment’s pause.  Then, with a fierce movement that seemed expressive of a jealousy which could no longer be contained, the darweesh seized the snake about two inches below its head, and tore it away from Mrs. Armine.  The terrible look had returned to his face with an added fire that beaconed a revengeful intention.  Pressing his thumb hard upon the reptile’s back, he seemed to fall into a frenzy.  He several times growled on a deep note, bowed back and forth, tossing his mane of greasy hair over his face and away from it, depressed his body, then violently drew it up to its full height, while his bare feet executed a sort of crude dance.  Then, wrought up apparently to a pitch of fanatical fury, he bent his head, opened his mouth, from which came beads of foam, and bit off the serpent’s head.  Casting away its body, which still seemed writhing with life, he made a sound of munching, working his jaws extravagantly, shot forth his head towards Mrs. Armine, gaped to show her his mouth was empty, lifted his bag from the floor and rushed noiselessly from the room.  She stood looking at the headless body of the reptile which lay on the rug at her feet.

“Take it away!” she said to Baroudi.

He picked it up, went to the window, and threw it out into the orange-garden.  Then he came back and stood beside her.