er?"

Dirham took his courage in both hands and ventured to reply:

"Strike off my head if you will, my lord, but this I say--they were
not traitors, but were themselves betrayed; for even if it were
possible for sons to betray their father, Tepelenti's children would
not betray Tepelenti."

Ali Pasha gave Dirham a purse of gold for these words, commanding him,
at the same time, to appear before him in the palace that evening, and
to bring with him, carefully transplanted into pots, those tulips
which bore the names of Sulaiman and Mukhtar.

Dirham could scarcely wait for the evening to come, and the moment he
appeared in Ali's halls he was admitted into the pasha's presence.
Then Ali bade every one withdraw from the room, that they twain might
remain together, and began to talk with him confidentially.

"I hear that my sons are living in great poverty at Adrianople. As to
their poverty, I say nothing; but, worse still, they are living in
great humiliation also. Nobody will have anything to do with them. The
wretched Spahis, who once on a time mentioned their names with
chattering teeth, now mock at them when they meet them in the street,
and when they go on foot to the bazaar to buy their bread, the women
cry with a loud voice, 'Are these, then, the heroes at whom Stambul
used to tremble?' Verily it is shameful, and Ali Pasha blushes
thereat. I know that if once I ever place in their hands those good
swords which I bound upon their thighs they would not surrender them
so readily to the enemies of Ali Pasha. What says Dirham?"

Dirham was only able to express his approval of Ali's words by a very
audible sigh.

"Hearken, Dirham! I have known for a long time a secret, which I will
venture to confide to thee."

"'Twill be as though you buried it under the earth, my master."

"In the Gulf of Durazzo there lies at anchor an English vessel, under
the command of Captain Morrison. On that ship I have deposited five
millions of piastres in gold--not less than five millions. A large
amount, eh! At any moment I like I can blow the fortress of Janina
into the air, embark on board that ship, and sail away to England or
Spain, and there I can live in a lordly fashion without care, just as
I please. But to what purpose? My remaining days are but few. Why
should I try to save them? Here I must perish. Here, where I have
grown great, it becomes me to die, and it is not for me to retreat
before the advancing sword. This money