French and Oriental Love in a Harem

"And so," I replied, "I may believe you really love me? And do they

also?"

She looked at me with an astonished air, as if this question conveyed no

meaning to her.

"Why, of course; since you are kind, affectionate, and nice to us!"

The others listened attentively without understanding a word; their

handsome eyes wandered from Kondjé-Gul to me, and from me to Kondjé-Gul,

with an indescribable expression of curiosity.

"But you," she replied after a moment, "is it really true that you

mean always to love us all, one as much as another, as you have done

to-day?"

"Certainly," I replied with assurance; "this is the custom in our

harems, as Mohammed told you. Does not that please you better?"

"Oh, yes!" she exclaimed, "but we always thought that you Franks never

loved more than one woman."

"That's what they keep saying in Turkey, to injure us, and out of

jealousy, because we do not ordinarily marry more than one wife, to whom

it is our duty to be faithful."

"But--what happens then, when a man has four, as you have?" she

inquired.

"We are equally faithful to all the four!" I replied, without wincing.

"Oh, what happiness!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands with joy.

And immediately, with the volubility of a bird, she began to talk to the

others, translating to them everything which we had just been saying.

They were all in transports of merriment.

Louis, I won't proceed any further. I can guess the stupid reflections

which will occur to you on the subject of this very simple situation

which you, like one left behind, buried deep in the ruts of your absurd

prejudices, take the liberty of judging from afar. Yes, confess it

without reserve; you, moving in the limited sphere of your own feeble

experiences, are about to pronounce my amours eccentric. On the

fallacious ground that it is unnatural to love and be loved by four

women at a time, you, like any other miserable sceptic, are shocked by

the freedom of simple sentiments which you are unable to appreciate.

First, then, let me assure you that in their own minds none of them

conceived the slightest irregularity in their position. According to the

laws and customs of their country, they believed themselves to be my

wives by a tie as perfect and as legitimate in their eyes as that of

marriage in ours. They are my cadines, a position which creates for

them duties and rights defined by the Koran itself.