"You must write to your husband's Ambassador," said the Pacha, "and ask him to inform us how the law of succession is applied in his country, we will then pay you everything to which you are entitled." In the meantime an inhabitant took pity upon the Italian lady, and had received her into his harem. Here she was now living, and anxiously awaiting a reply from Constantinople to her letter. Months passed away, no answer came. The poor woman had exhausted the small resources which she possessed at the time of her husband's death. CHAPTER XXVII. The Governor calls—A great honour—The Khedive's treasurer—The Pacha's carriage—The Turks and Christians—The Russian Government—The Armenian subjects of the Porte—The seeds of disaffection—General Ignatieff—The treasurer—The Italian lady—Erzingan—The Governor's invitation—The cold in this country—The Pacha nearly frozen to death—His march from Kars to Erzeroum—Deep chasms along the track—The Conference is over—The Missionaries' home—American hospitality—The ladies—A Turkish woman in the streets of New York—A Chinese lad—New Orleans—The Anglo-Indian telegraph—The Franco-German War—The potato plant—The Armenians more deceitful than the Turks—The converts to Protestantism—The Tzar's Government does not tolerate any religion save its own—The superstitions attached to the Greek faith. I was thinking of calling upon the Italian lady when Mohammed, running into my room, informed me that the governor was actually coming in person to call upon me, and that it was a great honour; for some time before this the Khedive's treasurer had passed through Sivas, and Issek Pacha had not deigned to visit him, but had conversed with the Egyptian from the street. "See what a great man you are, Effendi!" said the delighted Mohammed. "The equal of a Pacha too! fortunate is my fate that I have been assigned to you as a servant!" The governor drove up to the door in a vehicle which very much resembled a brewer's dray. It was the only carriage of any sort or kind in Sivas. This fact alone added considerably to the Pacha's importance in that town. He was a corpulent man, and required a great deal of pushing at the hands of his two attendants to make him pass through the doorway of the carriage; two steps enabled the person inside the vehicle to descend to the ground. Issek Pacha, turning with great caution, walked backwards, his two servants holding his feet and guiding them to the steps below. After resting a few seconds, to recover from this exertion, the governor slowly mounted the staircase which led to my apartment.