suspect anything."

Then I went through the formal introduction, delivering it in the famous
_sabir_ which I told you of. Mohammed in the same idiom was fashioning a
compliment as profound as it was difficult to understand, when my aunt
all at once answered him in the purest Turkish.--I felt myself quite
lost.

A minute afterwards we were ensconced in the drawing-room of the
"selamlik." My aunt described the object of her visit. I must tell you
that this rascal Mohammed played his part with the most affable gravity
imaginable, albeit somewhat timidly, as if he felt whizzing through the
air a shadowy reminder of the stick with which, no doubt, my uncle had
trained him. I kept my eye on him all the time, and his eye wandered
from me to my aunt with a distressed expression. Great drops of
perspiration started from his face. Finally, at a sign from me, he
generously promised his subscription, and on the whole got through the
ordeal very well.

My anxieties being now removed, I was beginning to breathe more fully,
when my aunt, just as the interview was coming to a close, expressed to
him, in the most gracefully delicate manner possible, her desire to pay
a visit to his daughters, whose acquaintance she would be delighted to
make.

I was stupefied. To have refused the _entree_ of the harem to a lady of
my aunt's rank would have been an offence to her; she was too well
acquainted with Mussulman customs for it to be possible to put her off
with any pretext. Mohammed, still maintaining his dignified attitude,
replied without any hesitation, by a gesture of delighted acquiescence,
and without the least embarrassment got up, saying that he was about to
inform them of their good fortune. I felt rather reassured. From the
manner in which the old fellow had acted "His Excellency," it was clear
that this was not the first time he had been called upon to "save the
situation."

"You would like to follow me, I daresay," said my aunt with a laugh, as
soon as he had left us.

"Why, of course," I replied, in a careless enough tone. "Still, if his
daughters take after him, you will admit that it may be better to
content myself with my illusions."

"You dear innocent boy! Why, with a Turk, you never know what to
expect!"

Mohammed came back to tell my aunt that her visit had been announced,
and then, preceding her with a dignified bow he opened for her the gates
communicating with the harem. I remained behind. What would happen?