"When did you arrive?"
— Just now.
— Come, let us have breakfast together.
— Splendid — I am terribly hungry.
They sat down at the table facing one another, and Haifa asked him: "Is there some object behind your visit to Damascus?"
Adnan answered her: "No. I shall spend most of the time hunting, and see you from time to time. What is your program for today?" "This morning we hold the closing session; then I shall rest a little, and after that — home to the village."
Adnan accompanied her to the place where the congress was holding its sessions, and returned to the hotel.
The next day the Minister of the Interior summoned Haifa to his office. She went to him in the company of Adnan, who sat in the room of the Minister's secretary while she met with His Excellency. The Minister motioned to a chair beside him and asked Haifa to be seated.
— I have called you in order to inform you that at the meeting of the Council of Ministers last night, presided over by His Excellency the President of the Republic, it was decided to grant educated women the right to vote.
Hardly had Haifa heard this glad news when she sprang to her feet, rushed toward the Minister, and printed a warm kiss on his cheek;
and he in turn kissed her on the forehead.
Wiping the lipstick from his face, he said: "And now, calm yourself, for there is another matter I should like to take up with you before you return to the village. You know that the parliamentary elections will be held within a month or thereabouts, and among the candidates in your district there is so far no one fit for this important post. In the view of the officials, the choice in your district comes down to our friend Adnan — who does not appear greatly enthusiastic about the matter. I should like you now to tell me frankly your personal opinion of him as a candidate and as a leader for your village and your district. Do you favor his candidacy? Will he prove his fitness for the deputyship? And before you answer me, I beg you to remember that the interest of Syria stands above all."
Haifa was taken aback, and stood perplexed, not knowing what to answer. She felt a violent emotion flare up in her breast, and could not master the tears that welled in her eyes. In a choking voice she said: "When I speak to Your Excellency, I feel as though I were speaking to my late father; and on that basis I say that Adnan is among the finest of the progressive young men on this side of the Mediterranean. He loves his God and his homeland and—"
The Minister interrupted her, saying: "And he loves you."
— No, Your Excellency — I meant that he loves his work!!
The Minister said: "Be that as it may — can you not send someone to invite him to come to Damascus, or arrange for me to meet him?"
— Yes, I can — and at once. And Haifa rose, went to a door, opened it, and asked Adnan to come in.
Adnan entered the office of the Minister of the Interior, bearing about him the simplicity and the resolution of the people of the hills. The Minister motioned to Haifa to remain in the secretary's room. While Adnan was closeted with the Minister, Haifa drank two cups of coffee and smoked some ten cigarettes. At last the door of the Minister's office opened, and Haifa perceived at a glance that the two had reached a complete understanding. The Minister drew her aside and whispered in her ear: "Would it make you happy to see Adnan a deputy in Parliament for your district? I have persuaded him to enter the elections, and I am confident of the success of a young man like him."
She answered: "You have overwhelmed us with your kindness, Your Excellency."
The Minister said: "Whatever I may do, I shall never repay the debt I owe your father, for he lost his life saving mine during our revolt against the French. Come now, let us have a glass of lemonade."
Westmore
WESTMORE
The marvelous makeup preferred and used by the stars of Hollywood
The shades of its lipstick give you a beauty all your own
Have you tried Go-Go-Go Pink?
Go-Go-Go- Pink