E. F. BENSON

Author of "Limitations" "Dodo" "The Judgment Books" etc.

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY G.P. JACOMB-HOOD

"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

"'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 ANDRÉA,' 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"]