"I must have Paul Beldi's consort out of this prison for a fortnight, at the accomplishment of which time I will bring her back again."

The captain was thunderstruck.

"Sir," said he, "you are playing with my head."

"None will know, and in two weeks' time she will be here again."

"But if they discover it?"

"Have no fear of that. During that time I will leave in thy hands as a hostage my own son."

The young cavalier approached, threw back his mantle, and the captain recognised Feriz Beg. He fancied he was dreaming.

"Dost thou not suppose that I will bring back the woman for the sake of my son?"

"Do what you think well," said the commandant. "I owe you a life, I will now pay it back to you; follow me!"

The commandant led his visitors up a narrow corkscrew fortress into the corner tower, which was used as a dungeon for state prisoners. The circular windows were guarded by heavy iron bars, the heavy iron-plated oaken doors groaned upon their hinges, indicating thereby that they were very seldom opened.

"Why did you put them in this lonely place?" asked Kucsuk Pasha; "is there not some other prison in the town?"

"Don't blame me, sir; my orders were to lock the lady up securely, apart from her child, and in this tower are two adjacent chambers with a common window, and in one of them I have put the mother and in the other the child. I knew that they would not mind if they could speak to each other through the window, and press each other's hands, and even kiss each other through the bars."

"Thou art a true man, my good old fellow," said Kucsuk Pasha, patting the commandant's shoulder; while Feriz Beg warmly pressed his hand.

"Thou wouldst put me into just such another dungeon, eh?" he asked.

"There would be no need of that, good Feriz Beg; you should dwell in my apartments."

"But I would not have it so," said the youth, thinking with glowing cheeks of the fair Aranka who would thus be his next-door neighbour and fellow-prisoner.

At last the iron door of the prison was opened, the jailor remained outside, and the two Osmanlis entered. By the side of a rude oak table was sitting a lady in deep mourning in front of the narrow window, reading aloud from a large Bible with silver clasps; her children at the window of the other dungeon were listening devoutly to the Word of G.o.d.

When the men entered the woman started and looked up; the dim ray of light coming through the narrow window made her face appear still paler than it used to be; she looked up seriously, sadly--sorrow had lent a gentle gravity to the face that used to be so bright and gay.

Kucsuk Pasha approached, and taking the lady's soft transparent hand in his own, briefly introduced himself.

"I am Kucsuk Pasha, thy husband's most faithful friend in this world after thyself."

"I thank you for your visit; my husband has often mentioned your name.

Do you perchance bring me any message from him?"

"He would have thee with him."

"Then I am free?" cried the lady, tremulous between joy and doubt.

"Rejoice not, lady; it is not in my power to give thee freedom, I only promise thee a brief interview with Paul Beldi, just time enough for thee to tell him how much thou hast suffered. He cannot come to thee, so thou must come to him. With me thou canst come most quickly, for the greatest part of the time we shall be travelling together."

"Will my children come with me?"

"They will remain here. But thou wilt see them again soon. Either thou wilt conquer Paul Beldi with thy tears, and melt his iron will, and then he will come back to Transylvania as Prince and every gate will be open before him; or else he will stand fast to his determination, and then thou wilt return to thy dungeon and he to his, and so you will both die in the dungeons of different realms. Now take leave of thy children and hasten. It depends upon thee whether they become princes and princesses or slaves for ever."

"And who will defend them, who will watch over them, who will pray with them while I am away?"

"Be not distressed. I will leave my own son here as a hostage while thou art away. Feriz will occupy thy dungeon, he will watch over thy children, and not let them be afraid. Hasten now and take leave of them."

Dame Beldi rushed to the round window. Loudly sobbing, she called her children one by one, and then embraced them all as best she could. The cold iron bars stood between her breast and theirs. The tears of their weeping faces could not dissolve them.

"Give this kiss to father!--And this kiss from me!--And this from me!"

lisped the children, putting their little arms round their mother's neck through the bars.

"My child, my good Aranka!" said Dame Beldi to the girl, who being about fifteen or sixteen was the eldest of them all; "look after thy little brothers and sisters! And you, my good little lads, comfort Aranka. G.o.d bless you! G.o.d defend you! One more kiss, Aranka! And one more for you, little David?"

"Madame, time is pa.s.sing, and Paul Beldi is waiting for thee to open his prison!" intervened Kucsuk Pasha, withdrawing Dame Beldi from the window of her children's prison, who thereupon turned her tear-stained face towards Feriz Beg, and in a pa.s.sion of grief flung herself on the youth's neck, and said to him in a voice almost indistinguishable for her sobbing:

"Thou n.o.ble heart! promise me that thou wilt love my children when I am far away!"

"By Allah, I swear it!" exclaimed the youth, pressing to his bosom the poor woman who was half-fainting for sorrow, "I swear that I will love them for ever!"

Ah! there was one among them whom he had already loved for a long, long time.

"Hasten, lady!" urged the Pasha; "cast this mantle over thee, and place this turban on thy head that the guards may not recognise thee in the distance. The way is long, the time is short."

"G.o.d be with you, G.o.d be with you!" sobbed Dame Beldi, casting with tremulous hands hundreds of kisses towards her children, who waved their goodbyes to her from their window and then, violently repressing her emotion, she rushed from the dungeon.

Kucsuk Pasha pressed the hand of his son in silence, and left him in Dame Beldi's room.

The children kept on weeping behind their window.

The youth drew nearer to them.

"Weep not," he said cheerfully, "your mother will soon come again and bring your father with her, and then you will all rejoice together."

"Ah, but then they'll kill father!" sobbed one of the children timidly.

"So long as Feriz Beg can use his sword none shall touch Paul Beldi,"

cried the youth, with flashing eyes. "My sword and my father's will flash around him, his enemies will be my enemies. Fear not! when I get back my sword, I will win back his liberty with it."

"I thank you, I thank you," whispered a gentle voice overcome by emotion.

Feriz Beg recognised the silvery voice of Aranka, and the weeping blue eyes of the seraph face which regarded him, like Heaven after rain, flashed upon him a burning ray of grat.i.tude which was to haunt him in his dreams and in his memory for ever.

Feriz felt his heart leap with a great joy. Pressing close up to the prison bars that he might get as close to the girl as possible he said to her with a tender voice:

"How happy I am now that we dwell together as neighbours in the same dungeon, but oh, how much happier shall we be when no doors are closed upon us? Let me then have a place beside thy hearth and within thy heart!"

The fair, sad girl, with a face full of foreboding, stretched through the bars of the dungeon a hand whiter than a lily, whiter than snow.

Feriz Beg solemnly raised it to his lips and falling on his knees, in an outburst of sublime devotion touched his lips and his forehead with that beloved hand.