104 
A CRUSADE IN THE EAST. 
duced circumstances now; lived by means of the fountain; 
gentlemen who came to see it always gave him a trifle of 
change. 
Of course after receiving all this information we could not 
do less than give the old man a trifle of change. He bowed 
very low again, expressed his devotion to the English, his 
undying attachment to Melor Beeron, and gradually disappear¬ 
ed through the doorway in the wall. 
Our walk back from the fountain was over rugged and 
precipitous rocks. The distance to the town is about two 
miles. 
I chanced next day to be passing the Hotel de Commerce , 
rather a dirty establishment kept by an Italian, but the best 
in Hermopolis, when it occurred to me that it would be well 
to look in and see if there were any late arrivals. I did so ; 
I looked in, and saw some late arrivals that astonished me 
not a little. Seated at a table, in all the glory of omelette, 
coffee, bread, and wine, were my friends, Doctor Mendoza and 
the Madam, who had arrived that morning in the French 
steamer. “ Oh, mon Dieu !” cried the Madam, “ Yoila le 
General !” “ Very bad Hotel dis,” said the Doctor ; “ come 
sit down ; no much for mange here. I no like Hermopolis. 
Sacr-r-r! Diabolo ! One miserable Sporkeria dis hotel! 
Eh, bien ! I shall be tres contents to leave Hermopolis ! ’Tis 
imposs to remain here !” 
The coffee was muddy to an excess ; it choked the Doctor ; 
and this excited him to such a degree that the Madam was 
forced to interfere in order to prevent him from chastising the 
waiter for not making better coffee. However, we made the 
best of what there was, exclusive of the coffee, which indeed 
was no worse than any I had tasted in Syra; and then the 
Doctor informed me that he had concluded to go on as far as 
Constantinople, having heard that there was an excellent 
hotel in Pera, kept by one Misseri, a celebrated oriental 
dragoman. 
I was very glad to meet my friends again; and we spent 
the rest of the afternoon rambling about the suburbs of the 
town in search of novelties, and enjoying such conversation as 
