ELEVEN
You left Thuraya’s house in the old city and hastened to Signora Houriya’s house in the new quarter, as if throwing yourself into mortal peril. You quickly passed by the shop of a Jewish silverware merchant on Corso Street to learn the price of the candelabrum Signora Houriya wanted. Then, without slowing down, you went to her apartment on La Posta Street, where you found a military vehicle and Italian soldiers stationed outside the front door, one of whom asked you what you wanted when he saw you trying to enter the building. When you told him, he led you to the apartment door.
A black youth in his mid teens opened the door. He spoke Arabic with an African accent. When he heard your name, he ushered you into the spacious sitting room. Your feet sank into thick carpets and there w
