position and waiting for me. I therefore set off at once to
call upon him.

I found Mohammed-Azis on his door-step. Gravely and sadly he received me
with a salute, the respectful manner of which embarrassed me somewhat,
coming from a man of his age. He showed me into the drawing-room, in
each of the four corners of which bubbled a little fountain of perfumed
water, in small basins of alabaster garnished with flowers. He made me
sit down on the divan covered with a splendid silk material, and which,
very broad and very deep, and furnished with numerous cushions, extends
round the entire room. When seated, I commenced uttering a few phrases
of condolence, but he replied to me in Turkish.

This mode of conversing had its difficulties, so he, seeing that I could
not understand him, started off into a _Sabir_ or Italianised French,
pronounced in an accent which I will not attempt to describe.

"Povera Eccellenza Barbassou-Pacha!--finito--morto?"

I replied in Italian, which he spoke indifferently well. We thus managed
to get along.

I then related to him the accident which had brought about the death of
Barbassou, my uncle and his friend. He listened to me with a greatly
distressed air.

"Dunque voi signor padrone?" he replied, uneasily; "voi heritare di
tutto?--ordinare?--commandare?"--

"Let me assure you, Your Excellency," I answered, "nothing that concerns
you will be changed by my uncle's death. I shall make it a point of
honour to fill his place exactly."

He appeared satisfied with this reply, and breathed freely, like a man
relieved of a great burden. In another minute he asked me if I would
like to make the acquaintance of all his people.

"I should be delighted, Your Excellency, if you would present me to your
family."

He walked towards the door and summoned them by clapping his hands.

I was expecting to see the wives or daughters of my host appear
according to Mussulman custom, covered up with their triple veils. An
exclamation of surprise escaped me when I saw four young persons enter,
dressed in beautiful Oriental costumes, their faces unveiled, and all
four endowed with such glorious beauty and youthful grace that I was,
for the moment, fairly dazzled. I took them for his daughters.

Hesitating and bashful, they stopped a few steps from me. In my
bewilderment I could not find a word to say to them, until after their
father had said something to them, they came up to me, first one, then
another,