



Produced by Clare Graham and Marc D'Hooghe at
http://www.freeliterature.org (Images generously made
available by the Internet Archive.)





THE VINTAGE

_A Romance of the Greek War of
Independence. By_ E. F. BENSON
_Author of "Limitations" "Dodo"
"The Judgment Books" etc._

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS

"And the wine-press was trodden without the
city, and blood came out of the wine-press"



HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS

NEW YORK AND LONDON

1898


[Illustration: "'COME AND SIT DOWN'"]


THIS ROMANCE

DEALING WITH THE REGENERATION OF HER PEOPLE

IS DEDICATED BY PERMISSION

TO

HER MAJESTY

OLGA

QUEEN OF THE HELLENES



CONTENTS


PART I

THE VINEYARD


    I.  The House on the Road To Nauplia
   II.  The Coming of Nicholas Vidalis
  III.  The Story of a Brigand
   IV.  The Midnight Ordeal
    V.  Mitsos Picks Cherries for Maria
   VI.  The Song from the Darkness
  VII.  The Port Dues of Corinth
 VIII.  The Mending of the Monastery Roof
   IX.  The Singer from the Darkness


PART II

THE EVE OF THE GATHERING

    I.  Mitsos Meets His Cousins
   II.  Mitsos and Yanni find a Horse
  III.  Mitsos Has the Hysterics
   IV.  Yanni Pays a Visit to the Turk
    V.  The Vision at Bassae
   VI.  Three Little Men Fall Off their Horses
  VII.  Mitsos Disarranges a House-roof
 VIII.  The Message of Fire

PART III

THE TREADING OF THE GRAPES

    I.  Te Deum Laudamus
   II.  Two Silver Candlesticks
  III.  The Adventure of the Fire-ship
   IV.  The Training of the Troops
    V.  The Hornets' Nest at Valtetzi
   VI.  The Entry of Germanos
  VII.  The Rule of the Senate
 VIII.  The Song from Tripoli
   IX.  Private Nicholas Vidalis
    X.  The Fall of Tripoli
   XI.  Father and Daughter
  XII.  The Search for Suleima
 XIII.  Nicholas Goes Home
  XIV.  The House on the Road to Nauplia



ILLUSTRATIONS

"'COME AND SIT DOWN'"
"'I AM FATHER ANDREA,' HE SHOUTED"
"HALF CARELESSLY SHE THREW INTO THE BOAT THE ROSES SHE HAD PICKED"
"SHE KISSED HIM LIGHTLY ON THE FOREHEAD"
"MITSOS SURVEYED HIM WITH EASY INDIFFERENCE"
"YANNI WAS STRUGGLING IN THE GRASP OF TWO MEN, THE GREEK AND THE TURK"
"KATSI AND A FINE SELECTION OF COUSINS ACCOMPANIED THE TWO"
"AFTER SUPPER MITSOS EXPOUNDED"
"IN THE CENTRE OF THE GREAT CHAMBER STOOD ONE WHOM IT DAZZLED HIS EYES
    TO LOOK UPON"
"'AH, BUT IT IS GOOD TO BE WITH YOU AGAIN'"
"MITSOS TORE UP GREAT HANDFULS OF UNDERGROWTH AND THREW THEM ON"
"MIXED WITH THE NOISE OF THE SINGING, ROSE ONE GREAT SOB OF A THANKFUL
    PEOPLE BORN AGAIN"
"BOTH THE BOYS, SEIZING THEIR OARS, ROWED FOR LIFE"
"CASTING HIMSELF DOWN THERE, IN AN AGONY BITTER SWEET, HE PRAYED"
"MITSOS, FLYING AT HIM LIKE A WILD-CAT"
"BORNE IN A CHAIR ON THE SHOULDERS OF FOUR MONKS"
"HE HAD CLAMBERED UP AND DROPPED DOWN ON THE OTHER SIDE"
"UNBUCKLING HIS SWORD, HE LAID IT ON THE TABLE"
"YANNI WAS BY HIM WITH A BRILLIANT SMILE ON HIS FACE"
"'WOULD YOU SLAY ME, FATHER?' SHE CRIED AGAIN"
"BY AN EFFORT HE RAISED HIMSELF ON HIS ELBOW"
"'SULEIMA!' CRIED MITSOS"




THE VINTAGE

Part I

THE VINEYARD




CHAPTER I

THE HOUSE OF THE ROAD TO NAUPLIA


Nauplia, huddled together on the edge of its glittering bay, and
grilled beneath the hot stress of the midsummer noon, stood silent as a
city of the dead. Down the middle of the main street, leading up from
the quay to the square, lay a scorching ribbon of sunshine, and the
narrow strips of shadow, sharp cut and blue, spoke of the South.

Along one side of the square ran the barracks of the Turkish garrison
of occupation, two-storied buildings of brown stone, solid but airless,
and faced