of embroidered
silver slippers. Turkish slippers! glistening with silver thread and
crystal beads, turned up at the pointed toes, and finished by two
silver tufted tassels, that peeped out incongruously from under the
straight folds of the simple grey frock.

This time Mary Fisher yielded submissively and made not the slightest
resistance. It did not matter to her in the least how her feet were
shod, so long as they were shod in some way, and she was saved from
having to pay a mark of homage to the Infidel. As she sat with folded
hands on the divan, awaiting the summons of the Grand Vizier, her deep
eyes showed that her thoughts were far, far away from any Silver
Slippers.

IV

'Mahomet, sone of the Emperour, sone of God, thrice heavenly and
thrice known as the renowned Emperour of the Turks, King of Greece,
Macedonia and Moldavia, King of Samaria and Hungary, King of Greater
and Lesser Egypt, King of all the inhabitants of the Earth and the
Earthly Paradise, Guardian of the Sepulchre of thy God, Lord of the
Tree of Life, Lord of all the Emperours of the World from the East
even to the West, Grand Persecutor of the Christians and of all the
wicked, the Joy of the flourishing Tree' ... and so forth and so on.

The owner of all these high-sounding titles was hunched up on his
cushions in the State Pavilion. 'On State occasions, among which it is
evident that he included this Quaker audience, he delighted to deck
his unpleasing person in a vest of cloth of gold, lined with sable of
the richest contrasting blackness. Around him were ranged the servants
of the Seraglio--the highest rank of lacqueys standing nearest the
royal person, the "Paicks" in their embroidered coats and caps of
beaten gold, and the "Solacks," adorned with feathers, and armed with
bows and arrows. Behind them were grouped great numbers of eunuchs and
the Court pages, carrying lances. These wore the peculiar coiffure
permitted only to those of the royal chamber, and above their tresses
hung long caps embroidered with gold.

'Mary Fisher was ushered into this brilliant scene with all the
honours usually accorded to an Ambassador: the Sultan's dragomans
accompanied her and stood waiting to interpret at the interview. She
was at this time about thirty-five years of age, "a maid ... whose
intellectual faculties were greatly adorned by the gravity of her
deportment." ... She must have stood in her simple grey frock, amidst
that riot of gold and scar