Part 31 (2/2)
What does that signify?”
Azrael kept plucking the yellow leaves off her dear plant and throwing them through the window, beckoned to the Pasha to sit down beside her, and tapping him on the shoulder, began to tick off the events on her pretty fingers.
”The golden fruit is the Moldavian Princess, and the white ape thou didst send for her is none other than Olaj Beg. Thy dream signifies that the Beg is about to arrive with the Princess, who in the meantime has borne a son, and thou wilt rejoice greatly.”
Ha.s.san was well content with this interpretation, when a eunuch entered and brought him a sealed letter on a golden salver. It was from the Pasha of Grosswardein.
The letter was anything but pleasant. Ali Pasha begged to inform the Vizier that the Government of Transylvania, having delivered Mariska St.u.r.dza into the hands of Olaj Beg, the Beg at once set off with her, and had got as far as Kiralyhago, when some persons hidden in the forest had suddenly rushed out upon him, ma.s.sacred his suite to the last man, and left the Princess' carriage empty on the high road. The Princess had in all probability been helped to rejoin her husband in Poland.
The letter fell from the hand of Ha.s.san Pasha.
”Thou hast interpreted my dream backwards,” he roared, turning upon Azrael; ”everything has turned topsy-turvy. The ape descended from the tree with the fruit, but knocked his brains out.”
At that moment the door-keeper announced: ”Olaj Beg has arrived with the Moldavian Princess.”
At these words Ha.s.san Pasha, in the joy of his heart, leaped from his cus.h.i.+ons, and after kissing Azrael over and over again, rushed forward to meet Olaj Beg, and meeting him in the doorway, caught him round the neck and exclaimed, beside himself with joy:
”Then my ape has not knocked his brains out, after all!”
Olaj Beg smilingly endured the t.i.tle and the embrace, but on looking around and perceiving Azrael standing in the window he began doing obeisance to her with the greatest respect.
”Hast thou brought her? Where is she? Thou hast not lost her, eh? Thou hast well looked after her?” asked Ha.s.san in one breath.
By this time Olaj Beg had bowed his head down to his very knees before the damsel, and was saying to her in a mollified voice:
”May I hope that the beautiful Princess will not find it tiresome if we talk of grave affairs in her presence?”
Azrael at once perceived the object of all this bowing and sc.r.a.ping.
Olaj Beg wished her to withdraw.
”Thou mayest speak before me, worthy Olaj Beg, though what thou art about to say is no secret to me, for I can read the future, and my secrets I tell to none.”
And now Ha.s.san intervened.
”Thou mayest speak freely before her, worthy Olaj Beg. Azrael is the root of my life.”
Olaj Beg made another deep and long obeisance.
He had heard enough of that name to need no further recommendation. He made up his mind on the spot to tell Ha.s.san, who was in the power of this infernal woman, no more than he deserved to know.
”Then thou hast brought the Princess with thee?” insisted Ha.s.san, whose joy beamed upon his face in spite of himself. ”Did the Transylvanian gentlemen make much difficulty in handing her over?”
”They handed her over, but it would have been very much better if they had not. I should have preferred it if they had risen in her behalf, stirred up all Klausenberg against me and beaten me to death. At any rate, I should then have died gloriously. But alas! the Magyar race is degenerating, it has begun to be sensible. Those good old times have gone when they used to fire a whole village for the sake of a runaway female slave; and it was possible to seize a whole county in exchange for one burnt village; if the Hungarian gentry continue to be as wise as they are now the younger generation of them may strike root in our very Empire.”
”I was alarmed on thy account, for I have just received a letter from the Pasha of Grosswardein, in which he informed me that certain persons had attacked the Princess's escort at Kiralyhago and cut them down to a man.”
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