FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126  
127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   >>   >|  
ill tell you all I know." She sat down at a desk and began working out the diagrams, and at last she handed the paper to Billy, who sat beside her, and pointed out the rooms and scribbled the words on them for his aid. "It is very simple," she said. "That first square is for the court, and the next square is for the garden. The hall of banquets comes so, between them, and the hall is two stories tall, and across the top of that, from the _selamlik_ to the harem, runs that little secret passage. And at the end of it, here, is the little panel into the rose room where she is, and beside the panel outside in the passage are the little steps that go up to that tower room, where they put me on the top. And from that top room I broke out a locked door on the roof--that is how I got away. I climbed down at the end of the harem from one roof to another where it is unfinished.... The rose room is here on the garden, but the windows have bars, and those bars are too strong for breaking. I have tried it! There is no way out but the secret way by that passage into the men's wing, or the other way through the door into the long hall and down the little stairs into the anteroom below. How Seniha hated me when I made laughter and noise and talk going up and down those stairs to my motor car!" She laughed impishly, pointing out Seniha's rooms, facing on the street, and contributing several bizarre anecdotes of the palace life. But Billy was not to be diverted, and went over the plans again and again, before the diminished number of lights and the hoverings of the attendant Arabs recalled the lateness of the hour to his absorption. But late as they were they were not the only occupants of the lift. Returning from a masquerade, a domino over his arm, stood Falconer. Civilly enough he returned Billy's greeting, with no apparent awareness of the little lady in pongee, but Billy was conscious that her flaunting caliber had been promptly registered. And to his annoyance the actress raised big eyes of reproach to him. "No champagne for me, after all, Mr. Billy!" she sighed. "You are not very good for a celebration--h'm?... Well, then--good night." Her parting smile as she left the car adroitly included the tall aristocratic young Englishman with the little moustache. Sharply Billy turned to him. "Come up to my room, please. I have something to say to you." In silence Falconer followed. Billy flung shut the door, drew a long
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126  
127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
passage
 

secret

 

Seniha

 

Falconer

 

stairs

 
square
 
garden
 

diminished

 
silence
 

Civilly


greeting

 

returned

 
domino
 

Returning

 
absorption
 

lateness

 
recalled
 
hoverings
 

attendant

 

number


lights

 

occupants

 

apparent

 

masquerade

 

conscious

 

adroitly

 

included

 

champagne

 

parting

 

celebration


sighed

 
aristocratic
 

Sharply

 

moustache

 

caliber

 
flaunting
 

turned

 
pongee
 

promptly

 
Englishman

reproach
 

raised

 
registered
 
annoyance
 

actress

 

awareness

 
stories
 

selamlik

 
banquets
 

locked