Page:Adventures of Baron Wenceslas Wratislaw of Mitrowitz (1862).djvu/130

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ADVENTURES OF

entered in a book. Should he be unwilling to cohabit with her any longer, he pays her the alimony, and restores her goods, and she must depart. She may then take another husband, and he another wife. If they have had children, the husband is bound to maintain and provide for them. The goldsmith sent to market immediately for all kinds of excellent sea-fish, and ordered her to prepare us good viands. He had another woman, too, in his house, who also acted as cook. These two women prepared for us, in a short time, a remarkably good dish from oysters, long-heads, round-heads, and all kinds of exceedingly well-tasted sea-frogs, and also gave us abundance of lemons, pomegranates, oranges, and salads, for everything of the sort can be bought as cheap there as plain apples with us. Above everything else, he gave us a remarkably good red Greek wine, and, indeed, treated us so well that all of us, janissaries and all, got tipsy with the wine. At first I would not drink it; but at last, hearing such commendations of it, everybody saying that never in their lives had they drunk better wine, I, too, allowed myself to be persuaded, inquisitive boy that I was, and drank with great relish two goblets, about half-a-pint, though afterwards I felt the effects of it, as a dog does those of fat bacon. When the proper time came we bade adieu to our friendly host, and thanked him, begging him to visit our house in return, and started upon the sea. As soon as I got into the boat, my head whirled round with me in such a manner, that I did not know where I had placed myself. In the first place the strong wine got into my head, and in the second the wind disturbed it still more, so that when we got out on the shore the janissaries were obliged to