ots Mr and Mrs Charles Chumley. We can't afford, out
here, not to know each other."

Mutual bowing took place, and the consul continued:

"Mr and Mrs Chumley are bound on the same errand as you are--a trip
through the country here."

"Yes," said the gentleman; "we thought--"

"Hush, Charley! don't," interrupted the lady; "let me speak. Are you
Professor Preston?"

"My name is Preston," said the professor, bowing.

"Glad to meet you. Mr Chumley and I are going to do Turkey this year.
Mr Thompson here said that you and your party were going to travel. He
had had letters of advice. We are going to start directly and go
through the mountains; I suppose you will do the same."

"No," said the professor calmly; "we are going to take steamer round to
one of the southern ports and start from there."

"Oh, I say, what a pity!" said the little gentleman, rolling his head
about in his stiff collar, where it looked something like a ball in a
cup. "We might have helped one another and been company."

"I wish you would not interfere so, Charley," cried the lady. "You know
what I said."

"All right, Agnes," said the little gentleman dolefully. "Are you
people staying at Morris's?"

"Yes," said the professor.

"So are we. See you at dinner, perhaps."

"Charley!" exclaimed the lady in tones that were quite Amazonic, they
were so deep and stern.

Then a short conversation took place with the consul, and the strange
couple left, leaving their host free to talk to the other visitors.

"I had very kind letters from Mr Linton at the Foreign Office
respecting you, gentlemen," said the consul.

"I know Linton well," said the professor.

"He is an old friend of mine too," said the consul. "Well, I have done
all I could for you."

"About passports or what is necessary?" said the professor.

"I have a properly-signed firman for you," said the consul smiling; "and
the showing of that will be sufficient to ensure you good treatment,
help, and protection from the officials in every town. They will
provide you with zaptiehs or cavasses--a guard when necessary, and
generally see that you are not molested or carried off by brigands, or
such kind of folk."

"But is it a fact, sir," said Mr Burne, "that you have real brigands in
the country?"

"Certainly," said the consul smiling.

"What! in connection with postal arrangements, and steam, and
telegraphs?"

"My dear sir, we have all these things here; but a score o