silence, and then a voice, in excellent French, although, with a
foreign accent, said, "Welcome, sir. I beg you will remove your
bandage." It may be supposed, then, Franz did not wait for a
repetition of this permission, but took off the handkerchief, and
found himself in the presence of a man from thirty-eight to forty
years of age, dressed in a Tunisian costume — that is to say, a red
cap with a long blue silk tassel, a vest of black cloth embroidered
with gold, pantaloons of deep red, large and full gaiters of the
same color, embroidered with gold like the vest, and yellow
slippers; he had a splendid cashmere round his waist, and a small
sharp and crooked cangiar was passed through his girdle. Although
of a paleness that was almost livid, this man had a remarkably
handsome face; his eyes were penetrating and sparkling; his nose,
quite straight, and projecting direct from the brow, was of the
pure Greek type, while his teeth, as white as pearls, were set off
to admiration by the black mustache that encircled them.
His pallor was so peculiar, that it seemed to pertain to one who
had been long entombed, and who was incapable of resuming the
healthy glow and hue of life. He was not particularly tall, but
extremely well made, and, like the men of the south, had small
hands and feet. But what astonished Franz, who had treated
Gaetano's description as a fable, was the splendor of the apartment
in which he found himself. The entire chamber was lined with
crimson brocade, worked with flowers of gold. In a recess was a
kind of divan, surmounted with a stand of Arabian swords in silver
scabbards, and the handles resplendent with gems; from the ceiling
hung a lamp of Venetian glass, of beautiful shape and color, while
the feet rested on a Turkey carpet, in which they sunk to the
instep; tapestry hung before the door by which Franz had entered,
and also in front of another door, leading into a second apartment
which seemed to be brilliantly illuminated. The host gave Franzwhich seemed to be brilliantly illuminated. The host gave Franz
time to recover from his surprise, and, moreover, returned look for
look, not even taking his eyes off him. "Sir," he said, after a
pause, "a thousand excuses for the precaution taken in your
introduction hither; but as, during the greater portion of the
year, this island is deserted, if the secret of this abode were
discovered. I should doubtless, find on my return my temporary
retirement in a state of great disorder, which would be exceedingly
annoying, not for the loss it occasioned me, but because I should
not have the certainty I now possess of separating myself from all
the rest of mankind at pleasure. Let me now endeavor to make you
forget this temporary unpleasantness, and offer you what no doubt
you did not expect to find here — that is to say, a tolerable
supper and pretty comfortable beds."
"Ma foi, my dear sir," replied Franz, "make no apologies. I have
always observed that they bandage people's eyes who penetrate
enchanted palaces, for instance, those of Raoul in the `Huguenots,'
and really I have nothing to complain of, for what I see makes me
think of the wonders of the `Arabian Nights.'"
"Alas, I may say with Lucullus, if I could have anticipated the
honor of your visit, I would have prepared for it. But such as is
my hermitage, it is at your disposal; such as is my supper, it is
yours to share, if you will. Ali, is the supper ready?" At this
moment the tapestry moved aside, and a Nubian, black as ebony, and
dressed in a plain white tunic, made a sign to his master that all
was prepared in the dining-room. "Now," said the unknown to Franz,
"I do not know if you are of my opinion, but I think nothing is
more annoying than to remain two or three hours together without
knowing by name or appellation how to address one another. Pray
observe, that I too much respect the laws of hospitality to ask
your name or title. I only request you to give me one by which I
may have the pleasure of addressing you. As for myself, that I maymay have the pleasure of addressing you. As for myself, that I may
put you at your ease, I tell you that I am generally called `Sinbad
the Sailor.'"
"And I," replied Franz, "will tell you, as I only require his
wonderful lamp to make me precisely like Aladdin, that I see no
reason why at this moment I should not be called Aladdin. That will
keep us from going away from the East whither I am tempted to think
I have been conveyed by some good genius."
"Well, then, Signor Aladdin," replied the singular amphitryon,
"you heard our repast announced, will you now take the trouble to
enter the dining-room, your humble servant going first to show the
way?" At these words, moving aside the tapestry, Sinbad preceded
his guest. Franz now looked upon another scene of enchantment; the
table was splendidly covered, and once convinced of this important
point he cast his eyes around him. The dining-room was scarcely
less striking than the room he had just left; it was entirely of
marble, with antique bas-reliefs of priceless value; and at the
four corners of this apartment, which was oblong, were four
magnificent statues, having baskets in their hands. These baskets
contained four pyramids of most splendid fruit; there were Sicily
pine-apples, pomegranates from Malaga, oranges from the Balearic
Isles, peaches from France, and dates from Tunis. The supper
consisted of a roast pheasant garnished with Corsican blackbirds; a
boar's ham with jelly, a quarter of a kid with tartar sauce, a
glorious turbot, and a gigantic lobster. Between these large dishes
were smaller ones containing various dainties. The dishes were of
silver, and the plates of Japanese china.
Franz rubbed his eyes in order to assure himself that this was
not a dream. Ali alone was present to wait at table, and acquitted
himself so admirably, that the guest complimented his host
thereupon. "Yes," replied he, while he did the honors of the supper
with much ease and grace — "yes, he is a poor devil who is much