French and Oriental Love in a Harem

The other morning, however, it chanced, as my uncle was passing our

banker's, that he wanted to draw twenty thousand francs for his

pocket-money. The cashier, who had known him years ago, was very much

surprised to see him in the flesh, but represented to him that it was

now quite impossible for him to open an account in his name, as he was

legally dead and buried. My uncle, like a law-abiding man, admitted the

justice of this observation, and I had to intervene in order to arrange

the matter for him. He took no further notice of it; only as he never

does anything by halves, he had his visiting cards printed with "The

late Barbassou" on them; and this was the way he signed himself at our

banker's, by which means he pretended that he conformed with all

requirements.

"You see how simple the whole thing is," he said to me.

My amours with Kondjé-Gul have certainly taken a very remarkable turn.

The other day I took her to Versailles for an educational and historical

excursion; she is continuing her course of civilization, you know. After

visiting the palace and the museum, we went into the park. She was in

the best of spirits, still excited with the fresh air and freedom which

she was enjoying like an escaped prisoner from the harem, and was asking

me questions about everything with that charming simplicity of hers

which delights me so much, when we arrived in front of Diana's Bath,

where we found a group of three young women most brilliantly dressed,

two of whom, as I saw at the first glance, were old acquaintances of

mine, very well known in the gay world. Young Lord B---- accompanied

them, and they all recognised me; but Lord B----, with the well-bred

tact of a man of the world, seeing the company I was in, only nodded

slightly to me. With like discretion, as is usual on such occasions, the

women made no movement of recognition; yet they could not help--being

struck no doubt with the remarkable beauty of my companion--evincing

such evident curiosity, that Kondjé-Gul observed it. I, of course,

passed without appearing to notice them. Kondjé-Gul and I then took a

turn up the walk, while I expounded the mythology of the bath to her,

and then we went out.

"Who are those ladies?" she asked me as soon as we were at a good

distance from them; "they know you, I could see."

"Oh, yes," I replied in an indifferent tone, "I have met them several

times."