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Updated: May 5, 2025
They were in Ben-Ahmed's garden at the time for the middy had been returned to his owner after a night in the common prison, and a threat of much severer treatment if he should ever again venture to lay his infidel hands on one of the faithful. Having led the middy to the familiar summer house, where most of their earnest or important confabulations were held, Peter sat down and groaned.
But as week after week passed away, and month after month, without even a flutter of her dress being seen by him, his heart failed him again, and he began to fear that Ben-Ahmed's son Osman might have returned and carried her off as his bride, or that she might have been sold to some rich Moor even to the Dey himself!
An' I do t'ink de Lord hab bin bery good to us, for He's gi'n us good massas at last, though we had some roughish ones at fust. Foller me as quick as you can." Dinah, being a warm-hearted woman, and very sympathetic, did not waste time. She reached Ben-Ahmed's villa only half an hour later than her brother, with a basket of groceries and other provisions that Peter had purchased in town.
After the meal Mrs Lilly took her lodger into the front room and gave her embroidery work to do. She found it by no means difficult, having learned something like it during her residence with Ben-Ahmed's household.
Entering the house, he went straight to Ben-Ahmed's private chamber, which he entered boldly, without even knocking at the door. The Moor was seated cross-legs on a mat, solacing himself, as usual, with a pipe. He was not a little surprised, and at first was inclined to be angry, at the abrupt entrance of his slave.
The slave obeyed with alacrity, and when the two were seated he described his recent interview with Hester Sommers. No words can do full justice to the varied expressions that flitted across the negro's face as the midshipman's narrative went on. "So," he said slowly, when it was concluded, "you's bin an' had a long privit convissation wid one ob Ben-Ahmed's ladies!
"Come, come, Peter, `everything is fair, you know, `in love and war. But that's not the point. Can you guess, I ask, Ben-Ahmed's motive for acting so oddly?" "Oh! yis, Geo'ge, I kin guess a'most anybody's motives, zough, p'r'aps, I mightn't guess right.
At the time when our hero first arrived at Ben-Ahmed's home, he had been despoiled of his own garments while he was in bed the slave costume having been left in their place. On application to his friend Peter, however, his pocket-knife, pencil, letters, and a few other things had been returned to him.
Ben-Ahmed's next act, after having lighted his pipe, was to summon Peter the Great and his new slave the former to act as interpreter, for it was a peculiarity of this Moor that though he appeared to understand English he would not condescend to speak it.
While the painter became more and more absorbed, so as to forget all around save his sitter and his work, the Moor became more and more devoted to his hookah, till he forgot all around save the soporific influences of smoke. An almost oppressive silence ensued, broken only by the soft puffing of Ben-Ahmed's lips, and an occasional change in the attitude of the painter.
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