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I explained to Carvel what we had found, and without mentioning the name of Laleli Khanum I told him how far we had traced the mystery, and he listened with profound interest to my account. "I hope you may find him alive," he said, as we rose from the table. "For my part, I do not believe we shall ever see him.
At such moments we are apt to despair of ourselves, and it is the inability to rise above this dejection at the important crisis which too often causes failure. After we had discovered the watch, and after Balsamides had traced it to the house of Laleli Khanum Effendi, it seemed to me that the end could not be far.
Her groans had a different character now, and it was evident that she was not playing a comedy. A livid hue overspread her face, and she gasped for breath. "If you are really in pain," said Balsamides, "confess, and I will give you relief." But Laleli shook her head, and did not look up.
"Eight pounds!" he exclaimed, in holy horror. "You know where this come from, lady? Ha! Laleli Khanum house dead no more like it." Marchetto of course knew the story of Alexander's confinement, and by a ready lie turned it to his advantage. Every one looked surprised, and began to examine the embroidery more closely. "Really!" ejaculated Chrysophrasia. "How strange this little world is!
"You must tell me what became of a Russian Effendi, whose name was Alexander, whom you caused to be seized one night in the last week of" Again Laleli cried out, and rocked her body, apparently suffering more than ever. "The medicine!" she whispered almost inaudibly. "Quick I cannot speak am dying of the pain."
It chanced that Laleli had all her life detested opium, and was so quick to detect its presence in a sweetmeat or in a sherbet, that now, when its use might have soothed her agonies, no member of her household had the courage to offer it to her.
One last convulsive effort, the jaw dropped, the features relaxed, the limbs were unstrung, and Laleli Khanum fell forward to her full length upon her face on the peach-colored satin of the divan. She was dead, and Gregorios Balsamides knew it, as he turned her limp body so that she lay upon her back.
"It is his Majesty's pleasure that I should use my art to stay the hand of death," replied Balsamides. "His Majesty is deeply grieved to hear of the Khanum Effendi's illness." "My gratitude is profound as the sea," said Laleli Khanum, but as she spoke the viper smile wreathed and curled upon her seamed lips. "I thank his Majesty. My time is come, it is my kadèr, my fate. Allah alone can save.
"If Laleli Khanum dies, Selim will disappear the same hour, laying hands on everything within reach, of course. How could we catch him? He would cross the Bosphorus, put on a disguise of some sort, and make his way to Egypt in no time. Those fellows are very cunning." "Then you mean to try and extort a confession from Laleli herself? How in the world do you mean to do it?
It could not be an operation of superhuman difficulty to bribe some one in the harem to tell us what we wanted to know. In a few days this might be accomplished, and we should learn the fate of Alexander Patoff. It was at this point, however, that failure awaited us. The house of Laleli was impenetrable. The scheme to establish communication by means of the story-teller did not succeed.
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