At that moment the door-keeper announced: "Olaj Beg has arrived with the Moldavian Princess."
At these words Hassan Pasha, in the joy of his heart, leaped from his cushions, and after kissing Azrael over and over again, rushed forward to meet Olaj Beg, and meeting him in the doorway, caught him round the neck and exclaimed, beside himself with joy:
"Then my ape has not knocked his brains out, after all!"
Olaj Beg smilingly endured the title and the embrace, but on looking around and perceiving Azrael standing in the window he began doing obeisance to her with the greatest respect.
"Hast thou brought her? Where is she? Thou hast not lost her, eh? Thou hast well looked after her?" asked Hassan in one breath.
By this time Olaj Beg had bowed his head down to his very knees before the damsel, and was saying to her in a mollified voice:
"May I hope that the beautiful Princess will not find it tiresome if we talk of grave affairs in her presence?"
Azrael at once perceived the object of all this bowing and scraping. Olaj Beg wished her to withdraw.
"Thou mayest speak before me, worthy Olaj Beg, though what thou art about to say is no secret to me, for I can read the future, and my secrets I tell to none."
And now Hassan intervened.