and warmly, and
speaking in a deeply impressive tone; "take the advice of a wery old
friend, who 'as your welfare at 'art, an' leave off your evil ways,
w'ich it's not possible for you to do w'ile you've got fifty wives, more
or less, shaves your 'ead like a Turk, and hacts the part of a
'ypocrite. Come back to your own land, my friend, w'ich is the only one
I knows on worth livin' in, an' dress yourself like a Christian."

The Pasha laughed, returned the squeeze heartily, and said that it was
highly probable he would act upon that advice ere another year had
passed away.

Half an hour later we were driving over the white plains, on which the
sun shone with dazzling light.

I felt unusual exhilaration as we rattled along in the fresh frosty air,
and crossed the fields, which, with the silvered trees and bushes,
contrasted so pleasantly with the clear blue sky. I began to feel as if
the horrible scenes I had lately witnessed were but the effects of a
disordered imagination, which had passed away with fever and bodily
weakness.

Ivanka also appeared to revive under those genial influences with which
God surrounds His creatures, for she prattled a little now and then
about things which attracted her attention on the road; but she never
referred to the past. Lancey, too, was inspirited to such an extent
that he tackled the Turkish driver in his own tongue, and caused the
eyes of that taciturn individual occasionally to twinkle, and his
moustache to curl upwards.

That night we slept at a small road-side inn. Next day we joined a
group of travellers, and thus onward we went until we reached the region
where the war raged. Here we were placed under escort, and, with some
others, were exchanged and set free.

Immediately I hired a conveyance and proceeded to the Russian rear,
where I obtained a horse, and, leaving Ivanka in charge of Lancey at an
inn, hastened to headquarters to make inquiries about Nicholas and
Petroff.

On the way, however, I halted to telegraph to the _Scottish Bawbee_, and
to write a brief account of my recent experiences among the Turks.

I was in the midst of a powerful article--powerful, of course, because
of the subject--on one of the war-episodes, when I heard a foot on the
staircase. I had placed my revolver on the table, for I was seated in a
room in a deserted village. One wall of the room had been shattered by
a shell, while most of the furniture was more or less broken by the sam