The Story of Sidi-Nouman 2

A short time after Amina entered as quietly as she had gone out. She undressed and stole into bed, congratulating herself apparently ¹ on the cleverness with which she had managed her expedition. , ,As may be guessed, after such a scene it was long before I could close my eyes, and at the first sound which called the faithful to prayer, I put on my clothes and went to the mosque ². But even prayer did not restore peace to my troubled spirit, and I could not face my wife until I had made up my mind what future course I should pursue in regard to her. I therefore spent the morning roaming about from one garden to another, turning over various plans for compelling my wife to give up her horrible ways; I thought of using violence to make her submit, but felt reluctant to be unkind to her. Besides, I had an instinct that gentle means had the best chance of success; so, a little soothed³（安慰 ，缓和）, I turned towards home, which I reached about the hour of dinner. , ,As soon as I appeared, Amina ordered dinner to be served, and we sat down together. As usual, she persisted in only picking a few grains of rice, and I resolved to speak to her at once of what lay so heavily on my heart. , , ,I had no sooner uttered these words than Amina, who instantly understood that I had followed her to the grave-yard, was seized with a passion beyond any that I have ever witnessed. Her face became purple, her eyes looked as if they would start from her head, and she positively ⁷ foamed ⁸ with rage. , ,I watched her with terror, wondering what would happen next, but little thinking what would be the end of her fury. She seized a vessel ⁹ of water that stood at hand, and plunging ¹⁰ her hand in it, murmured some words I failed to catch. Then, sprinkling it on my face, she cried madly: , ,He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异 。,The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心
。