‘Ah, yes!’ said she, with a sigh and drooping eyelids; and she went on in a moment, as though recollecting a civility due and not paid, ‘You are very good to me, my lord; for your island has treated you unkindly, and you will be glad to sail away from it to your home.’ ‘It is,’ said I, bending towards her, ‘the most beautiful island in the world, and I would love to stay in it all my life.’ Again the pleased contented chuckle sounded from the window over our heads. It seemed to strike Phroso with a new fit of sudden fear. With a faint cry she darted out her hand and seized mine. ‘Don’t be afraid. He sha’n’t hurt you,’ said I. A moment later we heard steps descending the stairs inside the house. Mouraki appeared on the threshold. Phroso had sprung away from me and stood a few paces off. Yet Mouraki knew that we had not stood thus distantly before his steps were heard. He looked at Phroso and then at me: a blush from her, a scowl from me, filled any gaps in his knowledge. He stood there smiling--I began to hate the Pasha’s smiles--for a moment, and then came forward. He bowed slightly, but civilly enough, to Phroso; then to my astonishment he took my hand and began to shake it with a great appearance of cordiality. ‘Really I beg your pardon,’ said I. ‘What’s the matter?’ ‘The matter?’ he cried in high good humour, or what seemed such. ‘The matter? Why, the matter, my dear Wheatley, is that you appear to be both a very discreet fellow and a very fortunate one.’ ‘I don’t understand yet,’ said I, trying to hide my growing irritation. ‘Surely it’s no secret?’ he asked. ‘It is generally known, isn’t it?’ ‘What’s generally known?’ I fairly roared in an exasperation that mastered all self-control. The Pasha was not in the very least disturbed. He held a bundle of letters in his left hand and he began now to sort them. He ended by choosing one, which he held up before me, with a malicious humour twinkling from under his heavy brows. ‘I get behindhand in my correspondence when I’m on a voyage,’ said he. ‘This letter came to Rhodes about a week ago, together with a mass of public papers, and I have only this morning opened it. It concerns you.’ ‘Concerns me? Pray, in what way?’ ‘Or rather it mentions you.’ ‘Who is it from?’ I asked. The man’s face was full of triumphant spite, and I grew uneasy. ‘It is,’ said he, ‘from our Ambassador in London. I think you know him.’ ‘Slightly.’ ‘Precisely.’ ‘Well?’ ‘He asks how you are getting on in Neopalia, or whether I have any news of you.’ ‘You’ll be able to answer him now.’ ‘Yes, yes, with great satisfaction. And he will be able to answer some inquiries which he has had.’ I knew what was coming now. Mouraki beamed pleasure. I set my face. At Phroso, who stood near all this while in silence, I dared not look. ‘From a certain lady who is most anxious about you.’ ‘Ah!’ ‘A Miss Hipgrave--Miss Beatrice Hipgrave.’ ‘Ah, yes!’ ‘Who is a friend of yours?’ ‘Certainly, my dear Pasha.’