She did not answer a word, but lowered her eyes, a smile glanced

furtively over her lips, and then, with her hand on her bosom, she bowed

to me.

"Kondjé-Gul! Dear Kondjé-Gul!" I exclaimed, touched to the depths of my

soul by this act of submission.

And springing towards her, I took her in my arms to chase away her

fears; I kissed her brow, which she offered to me, pressing her face

against my bosom, with a lovely bashful look of alarm.

"You have come, then!" she whispered.

"Did you imagine I did not love you?" said I, as truly affected as she

was.

At this question she raised her head with an inexpressible languor and

smiled again, looking into my eyes, and so close that our lips met.

Louis, is it true that the ideal embraces the infinite, and that the

human soul soars into regions so sublime that the blisses of this world

below cannot satisfy it?... I did not want to quit the harem without

having also seen Hadidjé, Zouhra, and Nazli. Poor little dears, no doubt

they already fancied themselves disdained! I must dry up their tears.

You will understand by this time the complications in my uncle's will

which have prevented me, these four months past, from finding a minute

to write to you.

I will relate to you the incidents of this remarkable situation, of this

quadruple passion by which I am possessed to such an extent that I am

sincere in all my professions. You may tell me, if you like, from the

commonplace standpoint of your own limited experiences, that it is all

madness. I love, I adore, after the manner of a poet or a pagan--as you

like, in fact--but what does it all amount to? My uncle, who was a

Mussulman, leaves me his harem; what could I do?

If it should happen that your work leaves you a little leisure, don't

come to Férouzat; you understand? That's what we sultans are like! The

girls are dying to see Paris; very likely I shall turn up there one of

these days.

I need hardly impress upon you, I suppose, the advisability of keeping

this letter most carefully from the eyes of your wife.




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