THE EMPTY PLACE.
Everything was now calm and quiet, and the world pursued its ordinary
course; but far away among the Blue Mountains dwells a woman who knows
nothing of all that is going on around her, and who every evening
ascends the highest summit of the hills surrounding her little hut and
gazes eagerly, longingly, in the direction of Stambul, following with
her eyes the long zig-zag path which vanishes in the dim distance--will
he come to-day whom she has so long awaited in vain?
Every evening she returns mournfully to her little dwelling, and
whenever she sits down to supper she places opposite to her a platter
and a mug--and so she waits for him who comes not. At night she lays
Halil's pillow beside her, and puts _their_ child between the pillow and
herself that he may find it there when he comes.
And so day follows day.
One day there came a tapping at her window. With joy she leaps from her
bed to open it.
It is not Halil but a pigeon--a carrier-pigeon bringing a letter.
Gül-Bejáze opens the letter and reads it through--and a second time she
reads it through, and then she reads it through a third time, and then
she begins to smile and whispers to herself:
"He will be here directly."
From henceforth a mild insanity takes possession of the woman's mind--a
species of dumb monomania which is only observable when her fixed idea
happens to be touched upon.
At eventide she again betakes herself to the road which leads out of the
valley. She shows the letter to an old serving-maid, telling her that
the letter says that Halil is about to arrive, and a good supper must be
made ready for him. The servant cannot read, so she believes her
mistress.
An hour later the woman comes back to the house full of joy, her cheeks
have quite a colour so quickly has she come.
"Hast thou not seen him?" she inquires of the servant.
"Whom, my mistress?"
"Halil. He has arrived. He came another way, and must be in the house by
now."
The servant fancies that perchance Halil has come secretly and she, also
full of joy, follows her mistress into the room where the table has
been spread for two persons.
"Well, thou seest that he is here," cries Gül-Bejáze, pointing to the
empty place, and rushing to the spot, she embraces an invisible shape,
her burning kisses resound through the air, and her eyes intoxicated
with delight gaze lovingly--at nothing.
"Look at thy child!" she cries, lifting up her little son; "take him in
thine arms. So! Kiss him not so roughly, for he is asleep. Look! thy
kisses have awakened him. Thy beard has tickled him, and he has opened
his eyes. Rock him in thine arms a little. Thou wert so fond of nursing
him once upon a time. So! take him on thy lap. What! art thou tired?
Wait and I will fill up thy glass for thee. Isn't the water icy-cold? I
have just filled it from the spring myself."
Then she heaps more food on her husband's platter, and rejoices that his
appetite is so good.
Then after supper she links her arm in his and, whispering and chatting
tenderly, leads him into the garden in the bright moonlit evening. The
faithful servant with tears in her eyes watches her as she walks all
alone along the garden path, from end to end, beneath the trees, acting
as if she were whispering and chatting with someone. She keeps on
asking him questions and listening to his replies, or she tells him all
manner of tales that he has not heard before. She tells him all that has
happened to her since they last separated, and shows him all the little
birds and the pretty flowers. After that she bids him step into a little
bower, makes him sit down beside her, moves her kaftan a little to one
side so that he may not sit upon it, and that she may crouch up close
beside him, and then she whispers and talks to him so lovingly and so
blissfully, and finally returns to the little hut so full of shamefaced
joy, looking behind her every now and then to cast another loving
glance--at whom?
And inside the house she prepares his bed for him, and places a soft
pillow for his head, lays her own warm soft arm beneath his head,
presses him to her bosom and kisses him, and then lays her child between
them and goes quietly to sleep after pressing his hand once more--whose
hand?
The next day from morn to eve she again waits for him, and at dusk sets
out once more along the road, and when she comes back finds him once
more in the little hut ... oh, happy delusion!
And thus it goes on from day to day.
From morn to eve the woman accomplishes her usual work, her neighbours
and acquaintances perceive no change in her; but as soon as the sun
sets she leaves everyone and everything and avoids all society, for now
Halil is expecting her in the open bower of the little garden.
Punctually she appears before him as soon as the sun has set. It has
become quite a habit with her already. She so arranges her work that she
always has a leisure hour at such times. Sometimes, too, Halil is in a
good humour, but at others he is sad and sorrowful. She tells this to
the old serving-maid over and over again. Sometimes, too, she whispers
in her ear that Halil is cudgelling his brains with all sorts of great
ideas, but she is not to speak about it to anyone, as that might easily
cost Halil his life.
Poor Halil! Long, long ago his body has crumbled into dust, Death can do
him no harm now.
And thus the "White Rose" grows old and grey and gradually fades away.
Not a single night does the beloved guest remain away from her. For
years and years, long--long years, he comes to her every evening.
And as her son grows up, as he becomes a man with the capacity of
judging and understanding, he hears his mother conversing every evening
with an invisible shape, and she would have her little son greet this
stranger, for she tells him it is his father. And she praises the son to
the father, and says what a good, kind-hearted lad he is, and she
compares their faces one with the other. He is the very image of his
father, she says; only Halil is now getting old, his beard has begun to
be white. Yes, Halil is getting aged. Otherwise he would be exactly like
his son.
And the son knows very well that his father, Halil Patrona, was slain
many, many long years ago by the Janissaries.
THE END.
_Jarrold & Sons, The Empire Press, Norwich and London._
[Illustration]
_SELECTIONS FROM JARROLD & SONS' LIST OF FICTION_
Maurus Jókai's Famous Novels.
_Authorised Editions. Crown 8vo, Art Linen, 6/= each._
Black Diamonds. (_Fifth Edition._)
By MAURUS JÓKAI, Author of "The Green Book," "Poor Plutocrats,"
etc. Translated by Frances Gerard. With Special Preface by the Author.
"Full of vigour ... his touches of humour are excellent."--_Morning
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The Green Book. (FREEDOM UNDER THE SNOW.) (_Sixth Edition._)
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engraved Portrait of Dr. Jókai.
"Brilliantly drawn ... a book to be read."--_Daily Chronicle._
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Pretty Michal. (_Fourth Edition._)
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engraved Photogravure Portrait of Dr. Jókai.
"A fascinating novel."--_The Speaker._
"His workmanship is admirable, and he possesses a degree of
sympathetic imagination not surpassed by any living novelist. The
action of his stories is life-like, and full of movement and
interest."--_Westminster Gazette._
A Hungarian Nabob. (_Fifth Edition._)
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"Full of exciting incidents and masterly studies of
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In Tight Places. (_Third Edition._)
By MAJOR ARTHUR GRIFFITHS, Author of "Forbidden by Law," etc. 6/=
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The Adventures of Cyrano de Bergerac. Captain Satan. (_Fourth
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From the French of Louis Gallet. With specially engraved Portrait of
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development of the tale, that it is impossible to skip one page, or
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A Woman's Burden. (_Third Edition._)
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Lone Inn," etc. 6/=
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"Simply full of thrills from cover to cover."--_Publishers'
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Vivian of Virginia. (_Second Edition._)
Being the Memoirs of Our First Rebellion, by John Vivian, of Middle
Plantation, Virginia. By Hulbert Fuller, Author of "God's Rebel." With
ten charming Illustrations by Frank T. Merrill. 6/=
"There is not a dull moment in the quaintly-written story,
adventure following adventure, holding the reader in thrall; whilst
the love interest is fully sustained."--_Gentlewoman._
Anima Vilis. (_Second Edition._)
A tale of the Great Siberian Steppe. By MARYA RODZIEWICZ.
Translated from the Polish by Count S. C. de Soissons. With a fine
Photogravure Portrait of the Author. 6/=
"A striking novel."--_The Times._
"Has both power and charm."--_Literature._
The Lion of Janina. (_Fourth Edition._)
By MAURUS JÓKAI. Translated by R. Nisbet Bain. With a special
Photogravure Portrait of Dr. Jókai.
"A fascinating story--a brilliant and lurid series of pictures
drawn by a great master's hand."--_Daily Chronicle._
Eyes Like the Sea. (_Fourth Edition._)
By MAURUS JÓKAI. Translated by R. Nisbet Bain. With a fine
Photogravure Portrait of Dr. Jókai.
"In wealth of incident, in variety and interest of
characterisation, in the richness and humour of its surprises,
'Eyes Like the Sea' ranks with the finest work of the great
Hungarian romancer. All is told with delightful and touching
candour."--_The Spectator._
Halil the Pedlar; THE WHITE ROSE. (_Now ready._)
By MAURUS JÓKAI. Translated by R. Nisbet Bain. With a
Photogravure Portrait of Dr. Jókai.
This beautiful and picturesque tale of Oriental life reads like a
chapter out of the "Arabian Nights." The heroine is a beautiful
young Greek girl who escapes the gilded dishonour of the harem by
feigning death and enduring torments. The scene of the story is
Stambul, in the eighteenth century, and every phase of life in the
great metropolis is described with singular fidelity.
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Romance of Modern London," etc. With a charming Photogravure Portrait of
the Author. 6/=
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Jocelyn Erroll. (_Third Edition._)
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Valentine: A STORY OF IDEALS. (_Fourth Edition._)
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Win," "Because of the Child," etc. 6/=
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The Gray House of the Quarries. (_Second Edition._)
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Garrett. 6/=
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Distaff. (_Second Edition._)
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from the Polish by Count S. C. de Soissons. With a finely engraved
Portrait of the Author. 6/=
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The Captive of Pekin. (_Fourth Edition._)
A Realistic Story of Chinese Life and Manners. By Charles
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The reader's interest does not flag from beginning to end."--_The
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A Daughter of Mystery. (_Second Edition._)
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and will repay the most exacting lovers of the exciting."--_Daily
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Wayfarers All. (_Second Edition._)
By LESLIE KEITH, Author of "'Lisbeth," "My Bonnie Lady." 6/=
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The Inn by the Shore. (_Fifteenth Thousand._)
By FLORENCE WARDEN, Author of "The House on the Marsh," etc. 3/6
"A rattling story, told in a lively way, incident following on
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Judy a Jilt. (_Third Edition._)
By MRS. CONNEY, Author of "A Lady House Breaker," "Gold for
Dross," etc. 3/6
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telling story throughout."--_Daily Telegraph._
The Tone King. (_Third Edition._)
A Romance of the Life of Mozart By Heribert Rau. Translated by J. E. S.
Rae. With specially engraved Portrait of Mozart. 6/=
"A lively story. The narrative of his achievements as a boy and
man, deftly built up to completeness by Mr. Heribert Rau, is
delightful reading throughout."--_Daily Telegraph._
"Full of fire and musical passion."--_Literary World._
Over One Hundred Thousand Copies Sold in America.
The Golden Dog (LE CHIEN D'OR). (_Third Edition._)
A Romance of the days of Louis Quinze in Quebec. By William
Kirby, F.R.S.C. 6/=
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pleasure, and finished with regret."--_Sheffield Independent._
Memory Street.
By MARTHA BAKER DUNN, Author of "Sleeping Beauty," "Lias'
Wife," etc. 6/=
"This charming story is not only one of daily actions, but of
important epochs. The novel is bright and alert, the personages are
natural, the story is graphic and true to the very last."--_Boston
Times._
God's Rebel.
By HULBERT FULLER, Author of "Vivian of Virginia."
"A book ... palpitating with intensity."--_St. Paul's Despatch._
"Most interesting throughout."--_Albany Times._
The Rejuvenation of Miss Semaphore. (_Thirtieth Thousand._)
A Farcical Novel. By HAL GODFREY (Miss C. O'Conor Eccles). 6/=
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Mail._
"Is the clever expansion of a clever idea. Well written, drawn to
the life, and full of fun."--_Black and White._
The Man Who Forgot. (_Second Edition._)
By JOHN MACKIE, Author of the "Prodigal's Brother," "Sinners
Twain," etc. With a special Photogravure Portrait of the Author. 6/=
"An exciting tale ... distinctly a book to read and enjoy."--_Daily
Mail._
"A vigorous and exciting story. Some part of the action of the book
is laid in Java, and the catastrophe of Krakatoa is described with
a vividness that makes real to us that appalling upheaving of
Nature."--_Daily News._
The Poor Plutocrats. (AS WE GROW OLD.) (_Fourth Edition._)
By MAURUS JÓKAI. Translated by R. Nisbet Bain. With a fine
Photogravure Portrait of Dr. Jókai.
"Distinctly a novel of incident and adventure, the whole atmosphere
is fresh and new; the ways of life, the people of those curious
towns and villages and lonely mountains, are a revelation and a
novelty. Put before us by the pen of a master like Jókai, the
effect is to stir and interest in an unusual degree."--_Daily
Chronicle._
The Day of Wrath. (_Fifth Edition._)
By MAURUS JÓKAI. Translated from the Hungarian by R. Nisbet
Bain. With a Photogravure Portrait of Dr. Jókai.
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go hurtling on to the end. The descriptive passages are remarkably
vivid and lucid."--_Black and White._
Dr. Dumany's Wife. (_Fourth Edition._)
By MAURUS JÓKAI. Translated by F. Steinitz (under the author's
personal supervision). With specially engraved Photogravure Portrait of
Dr. Jókai.
"With kaleidoscopic rapidity, scene after scene passes before us.
The novel shows us in a high degree the craft of the
story-teller."--_Literature._
The Nameless Castle. (_Fifth Edition._)
By MAURUS JÓKAI. Translated by S. E. Boggs (under the author's
personal supervision). With a Photogravure Portrait of Dr. Jókai.
"Told with infinite delicacy and charm, an enthralling
romance."--_The Bookman._
Debts of Honor. (_Fourth Edition._)
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Photogravure Portrait of Dr. and Madame Jókai.
"Full of life and incident. Jókai's inimitable pen, vivid, fiery,
humorous, never fails to stir and attract."--_Daily Telegraph._
'Midst the Wild Carpathians. (_Fourth Edition._)
By MAURUS JÓKAI. Translated by R. Nisbet Bain. With a specially
engraved Portrait of Dr. Jókai.
"Will enthral all English lovers of romance."--_Saturday Review._
"It is powerful, it is vigorous, and, what is more than all, it is
fresh."--_The Sun._
Cherry Ripe. (_35th Thousand._)
By HELEN MATHERS, Author of "Comin' thro' the Rye." 3/6
"It has humour, it has poetry, it has dramatic force.... Must take
rank amongst our stronger and more original fiction."--_Newcastle
Daily Leader._
NEW UNIFORM EDITION BY HELEN MATHERS.
_Crown 8vo, cloth gilt, 3/6 each._
The Story of a Sin. (_Seventh Edition._)
Eyre's Acquittal. (SEQUEL TO THE ABOVE.) (_Fifth Edition._)
Jock o' Hazelgreen. (_Fifth Edition._)
My Lady Green Sleeves. (_Seventh Edition._)
Found Out. (_103rd Thousand._)
The Lovely Malincourt. (_Sixth Edition._)
* * * * *
Miss Providence. (_Fourth Edition._)
By MISS DOROTHEA GERARD. 3/6
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The Winds of March. (_Second Edition._)
By GEORGE KNIGHT. 3/6
"A clever story, cleverly told, and exceedingly well worth
reading."--_Hearth and Home._
The Prodigal's Brother. (_Second Edition._)
By JOHN MACKIE, Author of "The Man Who Forgot," etc. 3/6
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reading."--_Daily Mail._
"An excellent story."--_Bookman._
Hungarian Literature:
An Historical and Critical Survey.
By EMIL REICH (Doctor Juris),
_Author of "History of Civilization," "Historical Atlas of Modern
History," "Græco-Roman Institutions," etc._
Crown 8vo. Cloth, Gilt Top, 6s.
With Map of Hungary.
SOME PRESS OPINIONS.
Daily Chronicle--
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Academy--
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Bookseller--
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"Thomas Moore":
_Being Anecdotes, Bon-mots, and Epigrams from the Journal of Thomas
Moore._
Edited, with Notes, by WILMOT HARRISON, Author of "Memorable
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GARNETT, LL.D., and Frontispiece Portrait of Thomas Moore.
Crown 8vo. Cloth neat, 3/6.
SOME PRESS OPINIONS.
The Morning Leader--
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of Moore as a poet has sadly diminished since his death. All the
more, therefore, as Mr. Richard Garnett, in his scholarly
introduction demands, should we be glad to preserve his name and
fame as a raconteur, a story-teller who carries us irresistibly
back to the very atmosphere breathed by Byron and Washington
Irving."
Literature--
"Mr. Garnett's introduction gives a delightful picture of the man
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said by men noted for the brilliance of their conversation. Much
pleasure can be extracted, and no small knowledge of an intensely
social period."
Pall Mall Gazette--
"Every one of the pages has sparkle and animation in it, Moore knew
everybody worth knowing in his time, and he introduces us to men
who have taken their places in history--not by any formidable
description, but with an enjoyable joke and a good-natured story."
The "GREENBACK" Series
OF
_Popular Novels_
BY AUTHORS OF THE DAY.
_Crown 8vo, cloth gilt, neat, 3s. 6d. each._
HELEN MATHERS.
CHERRY RIPE! (21)
THE STORY OF A SIN. (22)
EYRE'S ACQUITTAL. (23)
JOCK O' HAZELGREEN. (24)
MY LADY GREEN SLEEVES. (25)
FOUND OUT. (26)
THE LOVELY MALINCOURT. (39)
CURTIS YORKE.
THAT LITTLE GIRL. (8)
DUDLEY. (9)
THE WILD RUTHVENS. (10)
THE BROWN PORTMANTEAU. (11)
HUSH! (12)
ONCE! (13)
A ROMANCE OF MODERN LONDON. (14)
HIS HEART TO WIN. (15)
DARRELL CHEVASNEY. (16)
BETWEEN THE SILENCES. (17)
A RECORD OF DISCORDS. (20)
THE MEDLICOTTS. (27)
VALENTINE. (57)
MRS. LEITH ADAMS.
LOUIS DRAYCOTT. (1)
GEOFFREY STIRLING. (2)
BONNIE KATE. (3)
A GARRISON ROMANCE. (40)
MADELON LEMOINE. (46)
THE PEYTON ROMANCE. (18)
MAY CROMMELIN.
FOR THE SAKE OF THE FAMILY. (49)
BAY RONALD. (50)
LOVE KNOTS. (59)
J. S. FLETCHER.
OLD LATTIMER'S LEGACY. (7)
ROWLAND GREY.
BY VIRTUE OF HIS OFFICE. (44)
THE POWER OF THE DOG. (53)
MRS. HERBERT MARTIN.
LINDSAY'S GIRL. (32)
BRITOMART. (45)
JOHN MACKIE.
THE PRODIGAL'S BROTHER. (51)
DOROTHEA GERARD.
MISS PROVIDENCE. (56)
IZA DUFFUS HARDY.
A NEW OTHELLO. (4)
SOMERVILLE GIBNEY.
THE MAID OF LONDON BRIDGE. (5)
T. W. SPEIGHT.
THE HEART OF A MYSTERY. (28)
IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT. (43)
MAJOR NORRIS PAUL.
EVELINE WELLWOOD. (6)
MRS. BAGOT HARTE.
WRONGLY CONDEMNED. (33)
LINDA GARDINER.
MRS. WYLDE. (36)
AGNES MARCHBANK.
RUTH FARMER. (38)
MRS. H. H. PENROSE.
THE LOVE THAT NEVER DIES. (48)
MRS. CONNEY.
JUDY A JILT. (54)
DR. PHILPOT CROWTHER.
THE TRAVAIL OF HIS SOUL. (58)
SCOTT GRAHAM.
A BOLT FROM THE BLUE. (42)
THE GOLDEN MILESTONE. (19)
ESMÈ STUART.
HARUM SCARUM. (41)
MRS. A. PHILLIPS.
MAN PROPOSES. (29)
MRS. E. NEWMAN.
THE LAST OF THE HADDONS. (30)
EASTWOOD KIDSON.
ALLANSON'S LITTLE WOMAN (31)
MARGARET MOULE.
THE THIRTEENTH BRYDAIN. (34)
ELEANOR HOLMES.
THROUGH ANOTHER MAN'S EYES. (35)
E. M. DAVY.
A PRINCE OF COMO. (37)
MARGARET PARKER.
THE DESIRE OF THEIR HEARTS. (47)
HADLEY WELFORD.
WHOSE DEED? (51)
GEO. KNIGHT.
THE WINDS OF MARCH. (55)
_Others in Preparation._
Jarrold & Sons, 10 & 11, Warwick Lane, E.C.