When I
had strolled with him to a distance from the building, which
rendered him safe from being overheard
By human ears, he told me in
a hollow voice, trembling with emotion, that there were times at
which he doubted the divinity of "miledi." I said nothing to
encourage the poor fellow in that frightful state of scepticism
which, if indulged, might end in positive infidelity. I found that
her ladyship had rather arbitrarily abridged the amusements of her
secretary, forbidding him from shooting small birds on the
mountain-side. This oppression had arouses in him a spirit of
inquiry that might end fatally, perhaps for himself, perhaps for
the "religion of the place."
The secretary told me that his mistress was greatly disliked by the
surrounding people, whom she oppressed by her exactions, and the
truth of this statement was borne out by the way in which my lady
spoke to me of her neighbours. But in Eastern countries hate and
veneration are very commonly felt for the same object, and the
general belief in the superhuman power of this wonderful white
lady, her resolute and imperious character, and above all, perhaps,
her fierce Albanians (not backward to obey an order for the sacking
of a village), inspired sincere respect amongst the surrounding
inhabitants. Now the being "respected" amongst Orientals is not an
empty or merely honorary distinction, but carries with it a clear
right to take your neighbour's corn, his cattle, his eggs, and his
honey, and almost anything that is his, except his wives. This law
was acted upon by the princess of Djoun, and her establishment was
supplied by contributions apportioned amongst the nearest of the
villages.
I understood that the Albanians (restrained, I suppose, by the
dread of being delivered up to Ibrahim) had not given any very
troublesome proofs of their unruly natures. The secretary told me
that their rations, including a small allowance of coffee and
tobacco, were served out to them with tolerable regularity.
I asked the secretary how Lady Hester was off for horses, and said
that I would take a look at the stable. The man did not raise any
opposition to my proposal, and affected no mystery about the
matter, but said that the only two steeds which then belonged to
her ladyship were of a very humble sort. This answer, and a storm
of rain then beginning to descend, prevented me at the time from
undertaking my journey to the stable, which was at some distance
from the part of the building in which I was quartered, and I don't
know that I ever thought of the matter afterwards until my return
to England, when I saw Lamartine's eye-witnessing account of the
horse saddled by the hands of his Maker!
When I returned to my apartment (which, as my hostess told me, was
the only one in the whole building that kept out the rain) her
ladyship sent to say that she would be glad to receive me again.
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