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"NOW," THARKAY SAID, soft, soft, they were at the palace wall, and the night-guards had just gone past; he flung a grappling-line, and they scrareat trick for a sailor, the stone wall ragged-faced and generous with footholds In the outer gardens, pleasure-pavilions stood overlooking the sea, and a single great towering coluainst the half-moon while they ran across the lawns; then they were safely across the open ground and into the thickets left wild upon the hillside, ivy blanketing scraps of old, old ruins, arches built of brick and columns tumbled onto their sides
They had another wall to scra as it did all around the circu to be well-patrolled; then they made their way down to the shores of the Golden Horn, where Tharkay calling softly roused a ferryman to carry thelimmered tolong froht and boat lanterns on both of its banks, people taking the air on balconies and terraces, and the sound ofeasily over the water
Laurence would have liked to stop and look over the harbor for some closer detail of the works he had seen the previous day, but Tharkay led him on without a pause away from the dockyards and into the streets, not in the same direction as the embassy, but towards the ancient spire of Galata Tower, standing sentinel upon the hill A loall encircled the district around the watch-tower, soft and cru and very old, unattended; inside the streets were much quieter; only a handful of coffeehouses owned by Greeks or Italians still lit, s in low voices over cups of the sweet-s apple tea, and here and there a devoted hookah-srant steam emitted in slow, thin trails from between his lips
Avraam Maden&039;s house was handsohbors and fra trees, established on an avenue with a clear prospect on the old tower A ns of prosperity and long residence: carpets old but rich and still bright; portraits upon the walls in gilt frames, of dark-eyed men and women: rather more Spanish than Turkish in character, Laurence would have said
Maden poured them wine as the maid laid out a platter of thin bread with a dish of paste ines, very piquant, and another of sweet raisins and dates chopped together with nuts, flavored with red wine "My family came from Seville," he said, when Laurenceand the Inquisition expelled us; the Sultan was kinder to us"
Laurence hoped hesoue impression of restrictions upon the Jewish diet, but the late dinner wasof lamb, roasted to a turn in the Turkish manner and carved off the spit into thin slices, with new potatoes dressed in their skins and a fragrant glaze of olive oil and strong herbs; and besides a whole fish roasted with peppers and toly flavored with the common yellow spice, and a tenderly stewed fohich no one could have objected to
Maden, who in his trade often served as a factor for British visitors, spoke excellent English, and his fa already established in their own hohter Sara re woman well out of the schoolrooood a dowry as Maden see if in a foreign ainst fair skin, very like her elegant uests, she froh she spoke easily enough when addressed, in a self-possessed ent inquiries hi it a species of rudeness, but rather fell back on a description of their journey ard, proin with, but soon began to be truly curious Laurence had been raised to consider it a gentleood dinner conversation, and their passage had furnished hih for anecdotes to make it very little burden in the present case With the ladies present, he ers of the sandstorm and the avalanche, and did not speak of their encounter with the horseh without it
"And then the wretches lighted on the cattle and were off again without a by-your-leave," he said, finishing ruefully with the account of the ferals&039; ates, "with that villain Arkady wagging his head at us as he went, and all of us left at a standstill, ouropen They went back well-pleased with thes wonderful ere not thrown into prison"
"A cold welcome for you after a difficult road," Maden said, amused
"Yes, a very difficult road," Sara Maden said in her quiet voice, without looking up "I ah in safety"
There was a brief pause in the conversation; then Maden reached out and handed to Laurence the bread-platter, saying, "Well, I hope you are coh now; at least in the palace you must not be subjected to all this noise we have"
He was referring to the construction in the harbor, evidently a source of reat beasts overhead?" Mrs Maden said, shaking her head "Such a noise they make, and if they were to drop one of those cannon? Terrible creatures; I wish they were not let into civilized places Not to speak of your dragon, of course, Captain; I a herself, and speaking apologetically to Laurence, with some confusion
"I suppose we sound to you co to her rescue, "when you daily must tend to them at close quarters"
"No, sir," Laurence said, "indeed I found it wonderful to see a flight of dragons in the middle of the city here; we are not perland, and ate overhead in the cities, that we do not distress the populace or the cattle, and even then there is always so of a noise made about our movements Temeraire has often found it a burdensoement?"
"Of course," Mrs Maden said "I never heard of such a thing before, and I hope I never do again when it is over with Not a word of warning, either; they appeared oneas soon as the call to prayer was over; and ere left quaking in our houses all the day"
"One grows accusto "It has been a little slow the last teeks, but the stores are opening again, dragons or no"
"Yes, and none too soon," Mrs Maden said "Hoe are to arrange everything, in less than a ive me the wine, please," with only the barest pause, scarcely noticeable
The little maid came in and handed over the decanter, which stood in easy reach on the sideboard, and whisked herself out again; while the bottle went around, Maden said quietly, while he poured for Laurence, "My daughter is to be entle tone, al silence fell, which Laurence did not understand; Mrs Maden looked down at her plate, biting her lip Tharkay broke it, lifting his glass, and said to Sara, "I drink to your health and happiness" She raised her dark eyes at last and looked across the table at hi the glass between theratulations," Laurence said, to help fill the silence, lifting his glass to her in turn
"Thank you," she said There was a little high color in her face, but she inclined her head politely, and her voice did not waver The silence yet lingered; Sara herself broke it, straightening with a little jerk of her shoulders, and addressed Laurence across the table, a little firmly, "Captain, may I ask you, what has happened to the boys?"
Laurence would have liked to oblige her courage, but was puzzled how to understand the question, until she added, "Were they not from your crew, the boys who looked in on the harem?"
"Oh; I am afraid I must own it," Laurence said, mortified that the story should have so the situation by speaking of such a thing; he would not have thought the hare Turkish lady, any er frolish debutante "They have been well-disciplined for their behavior, I assure you, and there will be no repetition of the event"
"But they were not put to death, then?" she said "I alad to hear it; I will be able to reassure the wo of, and they indeed hoped the boys would not suffer too greatly"
"Do they go out into society so often, then?" Laurence had always iined the harem very much in the nature of a prison, and no communication with the outer world perent, for one of the kadin," Sara said "Although they do leave the harereat deal of trouble; no one is allowed to see theuards, and theya woain freelyyou also to pass on to the men," Laurence said
"They would indeed have been better satisfied with a host of ae of embarrassment "Oh, I do not reat deal of boredo permitted little but indolence, and the Sultan is more interested in his refor done, she rose with her mother and they left the table; she did not look round, but went out of the rooht-shouldered, and Tharkay went to look silently out of the s, into the garden behind the house
Maden sighed, soundlessly, and poured lass Sweets were carried in, a platter of marchpane "I understand you have questions for me, Captain," he said
He had served Mr Arbuthnot not only by arranging for Tharkay to carry the e, but also as banker, and, it transpired, had been the foreent of the transaction "You can conceive of the precautions which we arranged," he said "The gold was not conveyed all at once, but on several heavily escorted vessels, at various intervals, all in chests ht directly to my vaults until the whole was assereeht hither?" Laurence asked
Maden offered his upturned hands, without come will rule in such a dispute? But Mr Arbuthnot thought all was settled Otherwise, would he have taken risks so great, brought such a sum here? All seemed well, all seemed in order"
"Yet if the sum were never handed over - " Laurence said
Yarmouth had coe the delivery, a few days before the latter&039;s death and the former&039;s disappearance "I did not for a e, and I knew the ambassador&039;s hand most well; his confidence in Mr Yar man, and soon to be married; always steady I would not believe any underhanded behavior of him, Captain" But he spoke a little doubtfully, and he did not sound so certain as his words
Laurence was silent "And you conveyed the money to him as he asked?"
"To the ambassador&039;s residence," Maden confirmed "As I understood, it was thence to be delivered directly to the treasury; but the a day"
He had receipts, signed; in Yarmouth&039;s hand and not the ambassador&039;s, however He presented these to Laurence with so him to look at them a while, said abruptly, "Captain, you have been courteous; but let us speak plainly This is all the proof which I have: the old are mine, of many years&039; service, and only Yarmouth received it A smaller sum, lost in these circumstances, I would return to you out of my own funds rather than loseat the receipts under the laht have been bloo He let the papers fall to the table and walked to the , angry at himself and all the world "Good God," he said, lohat a hellish state to be looking in every direction with suspicion No" He turned around "Sir, I beg you not repine on it I dare say you are a man of parts, but that you should have orchestrated the murder of the British ambassador and the embarrassment of your own nation, I do not believe And for the rest, Mr Arbuthnot and not you was responsible for safeguarding our interests in the matter; if he trusted too much to Yarmouth, and was mistaken in his man - " He stopped and shook his head "Sir, ifyou say so and I will at once withdraw it; but - Hasan Mustafa, if you know hiuilty party, or in - in collusion, if I must contemplate it, with Yarmouth? I a the agree is possible, Captain; one one, thousands upon thousands of pounds of gold vanished? What is not possible?" Maden passed a hand over his brow tiredly, calive me No No, Captain, I cannot believe it He and his family are in passionate support of the Sultan&039;s refor of the Janissary Corps - his cousin is married to the Sultan&039;s sister, his brother is head of the Sultan&039;s new army I cannot say he is a man of stainless honor; can any man be so, who is deep in politics? But that he should betray all his oork, and the work of his house? A man may lie a little to save face, or be pleased to snatch at an excuse for escaping a regretted agreeht they regret it? Napoleon is if anything a greater threat to them now than ever he was, and we all theof our forces over the Channelth aard"
Maden looked vaguely disco to speak frankly said, "Captain, there is a popular opinion, since Austerlitz, that Napoleon is not to be defeated, and foolish the nation which chooses to be his enerim look, "but so it is said in the streets and the coffeehouses; and by the uleine The Emperor of Austria now sits his throne by Napoleon&039;s sufferance, and all the world knows it Better never to have fought him at all"
Tharkay bowed to Maden deeply as they were leaving "Will you be in Istanbul long?" Maden asked him
"No," Tharkay answered, "I will not coain"
Maden nodded "God be with you," he said gently, and stood watching theo
Laurence eary, with a ue, and Tharkay utterly withdrawn They had to wait a while, upon the riverbank, for another ferry a chill to the air, though the su Laurence roused under the bite of the sea-wind and looked at Tharkay: the , settled into cal ehtness around the ht
A ferry they acco oars to break it, lopsided and unsteady strokes, the ferryainst the side of the boat; on the far bank the lass s: all the so in the dark, and the hia Sophia above them The ferryman leapt from the boat and held it for thelimmer of yet another ulls flying wildly around the do in their raucous voices, bellies lit yelloith reflected light
Too late for merchants, now, even the bazaars and the coffeehouses closed, and too early for the fishermen; the streets were empty as they clirew incautious, froue or distraction; or perhaps it was only ill-fortune; a party of guards had gone by, Tharkay had flung up his grapple; Laurence was at the top of the wall, waiting to offer a hand, with Tharkay halfway up, and abruptly twoquietly together; in a o and dropped to the ground, to get his feet under hi for their swords One seized his arm; Laurence leapt down upon the other, bore hi hiround again for gooda red-washed knife out of the other rip; he had Laurence&039;s ar down the street together, sprinting, shouts and cries in iht the rest of the guards running back, converging on them out of the rabbit-warren of the streets and alley-ways; the upper floors of the crammedin houses jutted out inquisitively over the streets, and lights were bloo a trail behind the hi sword as two of the guards ca theive over; Laurence, following blindly after Tharkay up the hillside, felt his lungs squeezing up against the bands of his ribs; they were dodging with soht, he hoped: no time to stop and ask Tharkay stopped at last by an old house, fallen into ruin, and turned to beckon him in; only the lowest floor re trap-door to a cellar But the guards were too close behind; they would be seen, and Laurence resisted, unwilling to be caught in a mouse-hole with no exit
"Co back the trap-door, and led the way down, down; down rotted stairs into a cellar of bare earth, very damp, and far in the back yet another door: or rather a doorway, so low Laurence had nearly to bend double to get through it, and leading further beloere steps hewn not of wood but stone, round-edged and sli sound of dripping water
They went down for a long time Laurence found one hand on the hilt of his sword; the other he kept on the wall, which as they descended suddenly vanished froers, and his next step went into water ankle-deep "Where are we?" he whispered, and his voice went a long holloay off, sed up by dark; the water washed the tops of his boots with every stride along the floor
The first glow of torchlight dawned behind hiuards came down after them, and he could see a little: a pale colu wet on its worn pebbled surface, wider than his ar too far above to see, and at his knees a few dull greyish fish busounds Laurence caught Tharkay&039;s arht of the water and thethe floor, and put themselves behind the pillar as the tentative torch-flickers caht
A gallery of colue and malformed; some in separate mismatched blocks, piled atop one another like a child&039;s atteht of the city pressing down upon the brick and ruin of this hollow place, sootten For all the cold empty vastness of the space, the air felt queer and very close, as though so down on his own shoulders; Laurence could not help but envision the cataclys disintegrating brick by brick, until one day the arches could no longer hold up their heads and all, houses, streets, palace,down, and drowned ten thousand in this waiting charnel-house
He clenched his shoulders once against the feeling, and tapping Tharkay silently on the ar into the water, with enough noise to muffle their own movements The ed on, keeping in the shadows of the pillars: thick leah the water Not all fish: the jutting curve of a jaw-bone showed above thebone leaned against the base of a coluround tide
A sort of horror was gripping hi his own end here, beyond any si one of the na down to rot in the dark Laurence panted through his open mouth, not only for silence, not only to avoid the stench of mildew and corruption; he was bent over nearly at the waist, oppressed, increasingly conscious of a fierce irrational urge to stop, to turn and fight their way back out into the clean open air He held a corner of his cloak over his rown ed themselves in a line stretched the width of the hall, each one with upraised torch illues of these overlapping to ood as a fence of iron They advanced slow but certain in step, chanted out aloud in unison, voices tolling low, chasing the darkness out of its last clung-to corners with reverberation and light Laurence thought he glimpsed, ahead, the first reflections off the far wall; they were indeed drawing close to the end of the mouse-hole, where there should be no escape but to try and rush the line, and hope they could outdistance the pursuit again; but noith legs wearied and chilled both by trudging through the deep water
Tharkay had been touching the pillars as he and Laurence dashed now fro his hand along their sides and squinting at their surfaces; at last he stopped at one, and Laurence touching it also found deep carvings cut into the stone all over it, shapes like drops of rain with soapy-wet es: wholly unlike the other unfinished colu ever closer, yet Tharkay stopped and began to prod at the floor with the toe of his boot; Laurence drew his sword and with an to run it also over the hard stone underneath the muck, until he felt the tip slide abruptly into some kind of shallow channel cut in the floor, less than a foot wide and thoroughly clogged
Tharkay, feeling around, nodded, and Laurence followed hi now as best they could in the knee-high water: the splashing echoes were lost in the inexorable chanting behind them, bir - iki - ��ç - d&ounize the counting words The as directly before thereen and brown over the thick, flat mortar, and otherwise unbroken; and the channel had stopped as abruptly as it had begun