"There were Turks nine miles from here the day before yesterday. They burned Nitzke, and killed the women; some of the Nitzke people are here now; one has lost his nose—yes, they always cut off the noses, and so do our fellows when they catch a Turk. This place would be easy to hold if there were troops, but, of course, Nicholas can't send any until war is declared. Pop hopes that Alussein Pasha won't find us. If he does, there'll be a massacre; yes, it will be in the next two or three days. You're not behind the times, sir; you'll see the fun if there is any."
Faber looked at Maryska, and discovered that she was looking at him. Evidently she shared her father's whim of exaggeration and her curiosity as to "the stranger's" behaviour was now awake. These odd terms: "boss," "stranger," "master," picked up from the backwoods of America twenty years ago, pleased the Southern ear, and were guarded tenaciously. Maryska wished to frighten this American, and would have been delighted had she succeeded.
"What shall you do if they come?" she asked him.
He said, as quickly: "I should go to bed," and at that she laughed again.
"And what will you do?" he asked her. She leered as she put a whole sardine into her capacious mouth.
"I shall see them fight. Men are for fighting—women to see them. In your country, you have no soldiers. All the Americans talk a heap about it, but none of them have seen anything at all. You will be a great good man after this, boss!"
He opened his eyes.
"Why a great good man?"
"Because you will have seen something that is great and good."
He was very much astonished.