d in the
Turkish fashion, I purposely took a seat near Yusuf Ali. Such was the
name of the Turk for whom I felt so much sympathy. He offered me his pipe
in a very graceful manner; I refused it politely, and took one brought to
me by one of M. de Bonneval's servants. Whenever I have been amongst
smokers I have smoked or left the room; otherwise I would have fancied
that I was swallowing the smoke of the others, and that idea which is
true and unpleasant, disgusted me. I have never been able to understand
how in Germany the ladies, otherwise so polite and delicate, could inhale
the suffocating fumes of a crowd of smokers.

Yusuf, pleased to have me near him, at once led the conversation to
subjects similar to those which had been discussed at table, and
particularly to the reasons which had induced me to give up the peaceful
profession of the Church and to choose a military life; and in order to
gratify his curiosity without losing his good opinion, I gave him, but
with proper caution, some of the particulars of my life, for I wanted him
to be satisfied that, if I had at first entered the career of the holy
priesthood, it had not been through any vocation of mine. He seemed
pleased with my recital, spoke of natural vocations as a Stoic
philosopher, and I saw that he was a fatalist; but as I was careful not
to attack his system openly, he did not dislike my objections, most
likely because he thought himself strong enough to overthrow them.

I must have inspired the honest Mussulman with very great esteem, for he
thought me worthy of becoming his disciple; it was not likely that he
could entertain the idea of becoming himself the disciple of a young man
of nineteen, lost, as he thought, in a false religion.

After spending an hour in examining me, in listening to my principles, he
said that he believed me fit to know the real truth, because he saw that
I was seeking for it, and that I was not certain of having obtained it so
far. He invited me to come and spend a whole day with him, naming the
days when I would be certain to find him at home, but he advised me to
consult the Pacha Osman before accepting his invitation. I told him that
the pacha had already mentioned him to me and had spoken very highly of
his character; he seemed much pleased. I fixed a day for my visit, and
left him.

I informed M. de Bonneval of all that had occurred; he was delighted, and
promised that his janissary would be every day at the Venetian