‘His wife died of it, I suppose?’ I believe I smiled as I put the question. Great as my peril was, I still found a pleasure in fencing with the Pasha. ‘Oh, no. Now that’s unworthy of you. Never have a fiction when the truth will serve! Since he’s dead, he murdered his wife. If he had lived, of course--’ ‘Ah, then it would have been fever.’ ‘Precisely. We must adapt ourselves to circumstances: that is the part of wise men. Now in your case--’ He bent down and looked hard in my face. ‘In my case,’ said I, ‘you can call it what you like, Pasha.’ ‘Don’t you think that the outraged patriotism of Neopalia--?’ he suggested, with a smile. ‘You bought the island--you, a stranger! It was very rash. These islanders are desperate fellows.’ ‘That would have served with Constantine alive; but he’s dead. Your patriot is gone, Pasha.’ ‘Alas, yes, our good Constantine is dead. But there are others. There’s a fellow whom I ought to hang.’ ‘Ah!’ My eye wandered towards where Demetri hummed and polished. ‘And who has certainly not earned his life merely by bringing me to meet you this morning, though I give him some credit for that.’ ‘Demetri?’ I asked with a careless air. ‘Well, yes, Demetri,’ smiled the Pasha. ‘Demetri is very open to reason.’ Across the current of our talk came Demetri’s soft happy humming. The Pasha heard it. ‘I hanged his brother three years ago,’ he observed. ‘I know you did,’ said I. ‘You seem to have done some characteristic things three years ago.’ ‘And he went to the gallows humming that tune. You know it?’ ‘Very well indeed, Pasha. It was one of the first things I heard in Neopalia; it’s going to be one of the last, perhaps.’ ‘That tune lends a great plausibility to my little fiction,’ said Mouraki. ‘It will no doubt be a very valuable confirmation of it,’ I rejoined. The Pasha made no further remark for a moment. I looked past him and past the four soldiers--for the last had now joined his comrades--to Phroso. She was leaning against the cliff side; her head was thrown back and her face upturned, but her eyes were closed. I think she had swooned, or at least sunk into a half-unconscious state. Mouraki detected my glance. ‘Look at her well, use your time,’ he said in a savage tone. You’ve not long to enjoy the sight of her.’ ‘I have as long as it may happen to please God,’ said I. ‘Neither you nor I know how long.’ ‘I can make a guess,’ observed Mouraki, a quiet smile succeeding his frown. ‘Yes, you can make a guess.’ He stood looking at me a moment longer; then he turned away. As he passed the soldiers he spoke to them. I saw them smile. No doubt he had picked his men for this job and could rely on them.