Making Himself Comfortable

The young Englishman, without trying too hard, makes himself comfortable in his new life. He went from public school to university, and then straight into the Levant Consular Service. Along the way, he developed a sense of comfort that he carries with him. In the few years he has spent in Turkey, he has learned about local art, like prayer rugs, tapestries, and embroideries. After bargaining in the bazaars, he has bought valuable pieces that hang on his walls as decoration instead of traditional pictures.

A Comfortable Home with Personal Touches

He has developed a taste for collecting old weapons, like silver-chased flint-lock pistols and Damascus steel sabres, their blades inlaid with gold and handles studded with coral and turquoise. He even taught a Turkish carpenter to build a comfortable lounge and covered it with a Persian rug, making a cozy divan. He bought a couple of well-padded English armchairs from Constantinople, which the Turks find awkward and undignified to sit in. His room is filled with small personal touches: a stack of pipes, his favorite English tobacco, and a table covered with pieces of embroidery. The table holds photographs in little silver frames, not the Turkish kind, but ones from England, bought in busy shops in London or Oxford Street.

Memories from Home

The photographs show his life before he came to Turkey. There are pictures of his family, including his mother and father, and some of him with his friends in their cricketing clothes before he left England. You can tell which pictures are of his family from where they are placed. He also keeps pictures of cheerful English girls—maybe sisters or friends of his sisters—some of whom he might have known well, while others may have forgotten him by now.

Thoughts of Home

The Vice-Consul, sitting alone in his comfortable room, sometimes misses the life he left behind in England. There are no bright restaurants, no theatres, no music halls, or close friends to hang out with. But even though he might feel lonely or homesick at times, it doesn’t make him weak. If he gets frustrated, he will likely swear, whistle, and light another pipe. In the morning, he takes out his horse, goes for a ride, and shakes off any feelings of gloom.