And he began to groan, for he felt immense pain, and unacknowledged desires burned him with a living flame. But Basia considered these words as an outburst of love for Eva—love long and painfully hidden; therefore pity for the young man seized her, and two tears gleamed in her eyes.
“Rise, Azya!” said she to the kneeling Tartar. “I have always wished you well, and I wish sincerely to help you; you come of high blood, and they will surely not withhold naturalization in return for your services. Pan Novoveski will let himself be appeased, for now he looks with different eyes on you; and Eva—” Here Basia rose, raised her rosy, smiling face, and putting her hand at the side of her mouth, whispered in Azya’s ear—“Eva loves you.”
His face wrinkled, as if from rage; he seized his hips with his hands, and without thinking of the astonishment which his exclamation might cause, he repeated a number of times in a hoarse voice, “Allah! Allah! Allah!” Then he rushed out of the room.
Basia looked after him for a moment. The cry did not astonish her greatly, for the Polish soldiers used it often; but seeing the violence of the young Tartar, she said to herself, “Real fire! He is wild after her.” Then she shot out like a whirlwind to make a report to her husband, Pan Zagloba, and Eva.
She found Pan Michael in the chancery, occupied with the registry of the squadron stationed in Hreptyoff. He was sitting and writing, but she ran up to him and cried, “Do you know? I spoke to him. He fell at my feet; he is wild after her.”
The little knight put down his pen and began to look at his wife. She was so animated and pretty that his eyes gleamed; and, smiling, he stretched his arms toward her. She, defending herself, repeated again—
“Azya is wild after Eva!”
“As I am after you,” said the little knight, embracing her.
That same day Zagloba and Eva knew most minutely all her conversation with Azya. The young lady’s heart yielded itself now completely to the sweet feeling, and was beating like a hammer at the thought of the first meeting, and still more at thought of what would happen when they should be alone. And she saw already the face of Azya at her knees, and felt his kisses on her hands, and her own faintness at the time when the head of a maiden bends toward the arms of the loved one, and her lips whisper, “I love.” Meanwhile, from emotion and disquiet she kissed Basia’s hands violently, and looked every moment at the door to see if she could behold in it the gloomy but shapely form of young Tugai Bey.
But Azya did not show himself, for Halim had come to him—Halim, the old servant of his father, and at present a considerable murza in the Dobrudja. He had come quite openly, since it was known in Hreptyoff that he was the intermediary between Azya and those captains who had accepted service with the Sultan. They shut themselves up at once in Azya’s quarters, where Halim, after he had given the requisite obeisances to Tugai Bey’s son, crossed his hands on his breast, and with bowed head waited for questions.
“Have you any letters?” asked Azya.
“I have none, Effendi. They commanded me to give everything in words.”
“Well, speak.”
“War is certain. In the spring we must all go to Adrianople. Commands are issued to the Bulgarians to take hay and barley there.”
“And where will the Khan be?”
“He will go straight by the Wilderness, through the Ukraine, to Doroshenko.”
“What do you hear concerning the encampments?”
“They are glad of the war, and are sighing for spring; there is suffering in the encampments, though the winter is only beginning.”
“Is the suffering great?”
“Many horses have died. In Belgrod men have sold themselves into slavery, only to live till spring. Many horses have died, Effendi; for in the fall there was little grass on the steppes. The sun burned it up.”
“But have they heard of Tugai Bey’s son?”
“I have spoken as much as you permitted. The report went out from the Lithuanian and Podolian Tartars; but no one knows the truth clearly. They are talking too of this—that the Commonwealth wishes to give them freedom and land, and call them to service under Tugai Bey’s son. At the mere report all the villages that are poorer were roused. They are willing, Effendi, they are willing; but some explain to them that this is all untrue, that the Commonwealth will send troops against them, and that there is no son of Tugai Bey at all. There were merchants of ours in the Crimea; they said that some there were giving out, ‘There is a son of Tugai Bey,’ and the people were roused; others said, ‘There is not,’ and the people were restrained. But if it should go out that your grace calls them to freedom, land, and service, swarms would move. Only let it be free for me to speak.”
Azya’s face grew bright from satisfaction, and he began to walk with great strides up and down in the room; then he said, “Be in good health, Halim, under my roof. Sit down and eat.”
“I am your servant and dog, Effendi,” said the old Tartar.
Azya clapped his hands, whereupon a Tartar orderly came in, and, hearing the command, brought refreshments after a time—gorailka, dried meat, bread, sweetmeats, and some handfuls of dried watermelon seeds, which, with sunflower seeds, are a tidbit greatly relished by Tartars.
“You are a friend, not a servant,” said Azya, when the orderly retired. “Be well, for you bring good news; sit and eat.”
Halim began to eat, and until he had finished, they said nothing; but he refreshed himself quickly, and began to glance at Azya, waiting till he should speak.
“They know here now who I am,” said Azya, at length.
“And what, Effendi?”
“Nothing. They respect me still more. When it came to work,
