nd he conferred the Pashalic of Egypt upon the
fallen minister, Piri Pasha. In the afternoon he granted audiences to
the embassadors of the Christian powers; but the Florentine envoy, it
should be observed, had quitted Constantinople some weeks
previously--indeed, at the time when the sultan undertook his expedition
against Rhodes; for the representative of the republic had entirely
failed in the mission which had been intrusted to him by his government.

In the evening, when it was quite dusk, Ibrahim retired to his
apartment; and hastily disguising himself in a mean attire, he issued
forth by a private gate at the back part of the palace. Intent upon
putting into execution a scheme which he had hastily planned that very
afternoon, he repaired to the quarter inhabited by the Christians. There
he entered a house of humble appearance where dwelt a young Greek, with
whom he had been on friendly terms at that period when his present
greatness was totally unforeseen--indeed, while he was simply the
private secretary of the Florentine envoy. He knew that Demetrius was
poor, intelligent and trustworthy; and it was precisely an agent of this
nature that Ibrahim required for the project which he had in view.

Demetrius--such was the young Greek's name--was seated in a small and
meanly furnished apartment, in a desponding manner, and scarcely
appearing to notice the efforts which his sister, a beautiful maiden of
nineteen, was exerting to console him, when the door opened, and a man
dressed as a water-carrier entered the room.

The young Greek started up angrily, for he thought the visitor was one
of the numerous petty creditors to whom he was indebted, and whose
demands he was unable to liquidate; but the second glance which he cast,
by the light of the lamp that burnt feebly on the table, toward the
countenance of the meanly dressed individual, convinced him of his
mistake.

"His highness the grand vizier!" ejaculated Demetrius, falling on his
knees; "Calanthe!" he added, speaking rapidly to his sister, "bow down
to the representative of the sultan!"

But Ibrahim hastened to put an end to this ceremony, and assured the
brother and sister that he came thither as a friend.

"A friend!" repeated Demetrius, as if doubting whether his ears heard
aright; "is it possible that Heaven has indeed sent me a friend in one
who has the power to raise me and this poor suffering maiden from the
depths of our bitter, bitter poverty?"