held at this remove , from the terraces and windows they could watch the life of the palace as much as they wished , a curious kind of frustration : other men walking about the grounds , busy and preoccupied ; officials in high turbans , servants carrying trays , young pages darting back and forth with baskets and letters ; once even a gentleman who looked like a medical man , long-bearded and in plain black clothing , who disappeared into a small kiosque of his own some distance away .