She motioned to her maid, Sarah, who with smiling countenance had followed her mistress into the tent, and now disclosed to Apafi's eyes a beautiful sleeping child that, covered with a silken wrap, the maid had lulled in her arms.
Beside himself with joy, Apafi took the child in his arms and kissed the round angel-face again and again. The child woke up, endured the kisses and embraces without a cry, and tugged at his father's beard, to the unspeakable joy of his parents.
The men standing about thought it fitting to congratulate the Prince on his paternal joy.
Apafi turned to them and said:—"Do you see how serious he is? he does not cry, because he is a man."
Anna beckoned Stephen Apafi to her and whispered to him:—"I trust the gentlemen will not be annoyed if family joys and cares withdraw the Prince from public affairs for a few minutes."
"Your ladyship has taken the words out of my mouth," replied Stephen. "I was just on the point of speaking to them."
With that he turned to those present and begged them to leave the Prince to himself for the few moments claimed by family ties, and to withdraw to the adjoining tent. The gentlemen considered the request natural and left the tent, Kutschuk Pasha leading.
Anna took the child from her husband's hands, gave it over to Sarah and sent them away.
When they were alone Apafi approached his wife with new expressions of tenderness. She took her husband by the hand, looked him earnestly in the eye, and said:
"It is to the Prince that I have come."