An Old Meerschaum | Page 8

and, poor as I am, I
would not part with it or break it for the price of this story.
Barndale was displaying his mangled darling to Papa Leland in the
salle à manger, when Demetri Agryopoulo came in with a friend and
went out again after a stay of two or three minutes. Barndale did not
notice him, but Jimmy met him point-blank at the door, and made way
for him to pass. The two friends crossed over to Stamboul and went to
the bazaar with their dragoman, and there chaffered with a skilled old

Turkish artificer who asked just ten times what he meant to take for the
job, and finally took it at only twice his bottom price. A silver band was
all it needed to restore it, and it was promised that the work should be
done and the pipe ready to be called for at noon on the morrow. It
chanced that as the friends left the bazaar they ran full against their
Greek enemy, who raised his hat with well-dissembled rage, and
stalked on. The Greek by ill hap passed the stall of the man to whom
the precious pipe had been entrusted. Barn-dale had smoked this
remarkable pipe that morning in the Greek's view in the reading-room,
and Demetri knew it again at a glance. It lay there on the open stall in
its open case. Now Demetri Agryopoulo was not a thief, and would
have scorned theft under common circumstances. But, for revenge, and
its sweet sake, there was no baseness to which he would not stoop. The
stall's phlegmatic proprietor drowsed with the glass mouthpiece of his
narghilly between his lips. The opposite shops were empty. Not a soul
observed. Demetri Agryopoulo put forth his hand and seized the pipe.
The case closed with a little snap, the whole thing went like lightning
into his breast pocket, and he sauntered on. He had heard Barndale's
lament to Leland Senior: 'I wouldn't have done it,' said Barndale, 'for a
hundred pounds--for five hundred. It was the most valued souvenir I
have.' So Agryopoulo Bey marched off happy in his revengeful mind.
There was quite a whirlwind of emotion in the old Turk's stall at noon
on the following day. The precious wonderful pipe, souvenir of dead
Antoletti, greatest of modern sculptors, had disappeared, none could
say whither. The old Turk was had up before the British Consul; but his
character for honesty, his known wealth, the benevolence of his
character, his own good honest old face, all pleaded too strongly for
him. He was ordered to pay the price set on the pipe; but Barndale
refused to take a price for it, and the old artificer and tradesman
thereupon thanked him with flowing and beautiful Oriental courtesy. It
was settled that the pipe had been stolen from the stall by some
passer-by, but, as a matter of course, no suspicion fell upon the Greek.
Why should it?
When the time came for the little party to leave Constantinople, and to
take the boat for Smyrna, Barndale and his friend went first aboard with
packages of Eastern produce bought for Lilian; and Lilian herself with

her father and mother followed half-an-hour later, under the care of the
faithful George, whom I delight to remember. The Greek was aboard
when the two young Englishmen reached the boat. To their surprise he
addressed them.
Lifting his hat formally he said, in admirable English:
'Gentlemen, our quarrel is not over, but it can wait for a little time. We
shall meet again.'
With that he bowed and turned away. Leland ran after him, and,
uncovering, stood bareheaded before him.
'I owe you an apology,' he said. 'I am extremely sorry and very much
ashamed of my part in the quarrel.'
'I care little for your shame,' said Demetri Agryopoulo, with his voice
quite low and calm and his eyes ablaze. 'I do not care about your shame,
but you shall live to be more sorry than you are.'
He went down the ladder by the side of the boat, and was pulled away
in a caique. As he went he laughed to himself, and pulled out
Barndale's pipe--remembrancer of his mean triumph, since repaired by
his own hands. He filled and lit it, smoking calmly as the sturdy
caiquejee pulled him across the Golden Horn. Suddenly the caique
fouled with another, and there came a volley of Turkish oaths and
objurgations. The Greek looked up, and saw Miss Leland in the other
boat. Her eyes were fixed upon him and the pipe. He passed his hand
lazily over the bowl and took the pipe indolently from his lips, and
addressed himself to the caiquejee. The boats got clear of each other.
Lilian, coming aboard the boat, could not