“And thou thyself?”

“I will guide thee to the opposite shore, there an old family servant of thy father’s awaits thee with saddled mules.  He loves thee dearly, and will bring thee into that quiet valley and he must never leave thee.”

“And thou?”

“This little coffer thou wilt take with thee; it contains money which I got from thy father; no curse, no blood is upon it, it shall be thine and thy children’s.”

“And thou?” inquired Guel-Bejaze for the third time, and she was very near to bursting into tears.

“I shall have to return to Stambul.  But I will come after thee.  Perhaps to-morrow, perhaps the day after to-morrow, perhaps later still.  It may be very much sooner, it may be much later.  But thou wait for me.  Every evening spread the table for me, for thou knowest not when I may arrive.”

The tears of Guel-Bejaze began to fall upon the child she held to her breast.

“Why weepest thou?” asked Halil. “’Tis foolish of thee.  Leave-taking is short, suspense only is long.  It will be better with thee than with me, for thou wilt have the child while I shall have nothing left, yet I do not weep because we shall so soon meet again.”

Meanwhile they had reached the shore, the old servant was awaiting them with the two mules.  Halil helped his wife to descend from the boat.

Guel-Bejaze buried her head in her husband’s bosom and tenderly embraced him.

“Go not back, leave me not alone,” said she; “do not leave us, come with us.  What dost thou seek in that big desolate city when we are no longer there?  Come with us, let us all go together, vanish with us.  Let them search for thee, and may their search be as vain as the search for a star fallen from Heaven; it is not good for thee to be in high places.”

Halil made no reply.  His wife spoke the truth, but pride prevented him from escaping like a coward when he knew that his enemies were conspiring against him.  Presently he said to Guel-Bejaze with a reassuring voice: 

“Do not be anxious on my account, I have a talisman with me.  Why dost thou smile?  Thou a Christian woman dost not believe in talismans?  My talisman is my heart, surely thou believest in it now?  It has always helped me hitherto.”

And with that Halil kissed his wife and his child and returned to the boat.  He seized the oars in his powerful hands and was soon some distance from the shore.  And as he rowed further and further away into the gloom of evening he saw his abandoned wife still standing on the shore with her child clasped to her breast, and the further he receded the keener grew his anguish of heart because he durst not turn back to them and kiss and embrace them once more.

* * * * *

Early in the morning the gigantic Halil Pelivan, accompanied by twelve bostanjis, appeared among the Janissaries with three asses laden with five little panniers, containing five thousand ducats which he emptied upon the ground and distributed among the brave fellows.