Read Online Children of Gebelaawi by Naguib Mahfouz - Free Book Online Page B

worried abou t yourself than about Idrees.
    She shook her head vigorously.
    - I have a right to worry about myself - and that means
    about you and our baby.
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    Children of Gebelaawi
    What did the woman want? How thick this darkness was; it
    had even swallowed up the mighty Muqattam. He held his
    peace and was silen t, but she went on:
    - Do you remember ever going into the private chamber?
    He broke his short silence:
    - Never! I used to want to as a child, but my father
    prevented me, and my mother wouldn't let me go near i t.
    - You surely longed to go in.
    He was only talking to her about the matter in the hope that
    she would draw hi m back, not that she wou ld egg him on. He
    badly needed someone to reassure him that his attitude to his
    brother was right. But he was li ke a traveller calling in the dark
    for a guide and attracting a bandit instead. Umayma asked
    again:
    - Do you know the dressing table with the silver box?
    - Everybody who's been in the room knows it. Why do you
    ask?
    She left her seat on the sofa, came close to him, and said
    temptingly:
    - My God! Don't you want to see the Deeds?
    - Heavens no! Why should I want to?
    - Who can resist the desire to know the future?
    - You mean your future.
    - My future and your fu ture, and l drees's future, which
    worries you so much in spite of what he's done to you.
    The woman had given voice to his thoughts, which annoyed
    him. He turned his head further towards the window and said:
    - What my father doesn ' t want, I don 't want.
    She raised her penci lled eyebrows.
    - Why should he hide this thing?
    - That's his busi ness. What a lot of questions you're asking
    tonigh t!
    She spoke as if to herself:
    - The future ! We'd know our future, and we' d help poor
    Idrees so much. And all it needs is to read a page, without
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    Adham
    anybody knowing. I defy anybody - friend or enemy - to
    accuse us of bad intentions, or to say that it affected your dear
    father even slightly.
    Adham was gazing at a bri lliant star which outshone all the
    others. He pretended to ignore her words.
    - What a wonderful sky! If the night wasn't so damp, I ' d
    have sat i n the garden looki ng a t it through the branches.
    - He must certainly have favored some people in the
    famous Clauses.
    Adham shouted:

- I'm not interested m favors that bring nothi ng but
    trouble.
    She sighed.
    - If I knew how to read I'd go myself to the si lver box.
    He wished it cou ld happen that way. He grew still more
    annoyed wi th her and with himself. He felt as though he had
    already done the forbi dden thing and was thinking about i t as
    a past event. He turned to her, frowning. By the light of the
    lamp that swung in the breeze wafting through the window, his
    face looked bothered and weak behi nd its scowl.
    - Damn me for telling you about it at all!
    - I don't mean you any harm, and I love your father as
    much as you do.
    - Let's stop this tiresome conversation. This is a time of day
    when you usually rest.
    - It seems my mind wi l l not rest till we've decided to do this
    simple thing.
    He puffed.
    - God, bring her back to her senses!
    She looked at him with something new in mind.
    - Haven 't you already disobeyed your father by seeing
    I drees in the garden house?
    His eyes opened wide with surprise.
    - I found him there in front of me; I couldn't avoid seeing
    him.
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    Children of Gebelaawi
    - Have you told your father about his visit?
    - What a nuisance you are tonight, Umayma!
    She said triumphantly:
    - If it's all righ t for you to disobey him i n something which
    may harm you, why can 't you disobey him in something which
    will help you and your brother and will harm nobody?
    He could very well have broken off the conversation, had he
    wanted to, but the temptation was too strong. The truth was
    that he had let her ru n on only because something in him
    needed her support. He asked petulantly:
    - What do you mean?
    - I mean you should stay awake till dawn, or till the way is
    clear for us.
    -