"Dear Sister:
Verification made, I have given the 4000. liv. sterl. for the
receipt. I have not advanced the other 600, because the receipt was
not in your name, and it would be impossible to recover it. I am,
while waiting your dear presence,
Always yours,
"Edward Sharper."
I had overdone my instructions to Hadgi-Stavros; to be quite
business-like, he believed that he ought to send two receipts!
Mrs. Simons said to me in a low tone: "You seem to be in great trouble!
What good will it do to make such faces? Show that you are a man, and
leave that grievance for a whipped cur. The best part is done, since we
are saved, my daughter and I, without its costing us anything. As for
you, I am not uneasy about you; you know how to save yourself. Your
first plan, which was not feasible for two ladies, will be an admirable
one for you alone. Come, what day may we expect a visit from you?"
I thanked her cordially. She offered such a fine opportunity for me to
show off my personal qualities and to raise myself in Mary-Ann's esteem.
"Yes, Madame, count on me! I will leave here a man of spirit, and much
better if I run a little danger. I am glad that my ransom has not been
paid, and I thank Monsieur, your brother, for what he has done for me.
You will see if a German does not know how to extricate himself from
difficulties. Yes, I will soon bring you my own messages!"
"Once out of here, do not fail to present yourself at our hotel."
"Oh! Madame!"
"And now beg this Stavros to give us an escort of five or six brigands."
"In God's name why?"
"To protect us from the gendarmes!"