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.