>Uf i ^- A.- , ^*" ^ ^ ^ ^. -A^ A A. ^ ^ 1 -^ -pA^^A^- fA^-A-^^— ^■^A>^k«^.^L.^^A»^LAi^L.i^^^.i^A^«^«^A-AiA!»A«ArJk.<^A rf> fti A A A A A A.rfL ik A '^■A..flt..,^;fc.^,.fy^„iff^ ,,< j ^ j ); ^ , ^i ^ g 
 
 tyy yy y i y y VfY y y T 7 ■ » T ^ ^ f'T T V T' T T T -T V * » y T T'T f V T f V"? y T t '^ ' f ' ^ ^ f 
 
 iff-^f-^-^^-*--^-^ ^ i.^.t..L...^-.A...AAAAA^^...AAA.^AA.A.t.^ ^^. JLAAAt.AA.AAA.it ^■J^^^^i.^ii-A^ ii^.aaa.i.^jij 
 
 im^(*m(*m(*w <:*m(*m^(*m(*m^. 

 
 -UNlVERSI-fY 0|J CALIFORNIA 
 " "^ AT LOS ANGELES -
 
 
 i 
 
 •try 
 
 ^'i.' 
 IP 

 
 ^xy 
 
 . y" 
 
 A' 
 
 / 
 
 ■•' . ^ ''--'
 
 it* 
 
 MY UNCLE 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 N:, 
 
 BAEBASSOU. 
 
 By MARIO UCHARD. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED WITH FORTY ETCHINGS BY PAUL AVRIL. 
 
 LONDON : 
 VIZETELLY & CO., i6, HENRIETTA STREET, PV.C. 
 
 1888.
 
 
 Chateau de Fcrouzat, ,.., 18... 
 
 No indeed, my dear Louis, I am 
 neither dead nor ruined, nor have I 
 j.^ turned pirate, trappist, or rural guard, 
 
 as you might imagine in order to explain my silence 
 these four months since I last appeared at your illus- 
 trious studio. No, you witty giber, my fabulous heritage 
 has not taken wings ! I am dwelling neither in China 
 on the Blue River, rior in Red Oceania, nor in White 
 Lapland. My yacht, built of teak, still lies in harbour, 
 and is not swaying me over the vasty deep. It is no 
 good your spinning out laborious and far-fetched hyper- 
 boles on the subject of my uncle's will : your ironical 
 shafts all miss the mark. My uncle's will surpasses 

 
 8 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 the most astonishing feat of its kind ever accomplished 
 by notai-y's pen; and your poor imagination could not 
 invent, or come anywhere near inventing, such remark- 
 able adventures as those into which this registered 
 document has led me. 
 
 First of all, in order that your feeble intellect may be 
 enabled to rise to the level of the subject, I must give 
 you some description of " the Corsair," as you called 
 him after you met him in Paris last winter ; for it is 
 only by comprehending the peculiarities of his life and 
 character that you can over hope to understand my 
 adventures. 
 
 Unfortunately, at this very point, a considerable diffi- 
 culty arises, for my uncle still remains and always will 
 remain a sort of legendary personage. Born at Mar- 
 seilles, he was left an orphan at about the age of 
 fourteen, alone in the world with one little sister still 
 in the cradle, whom he brought up, and who subse- 
 quently became my mother: hence his tender regard 
 for me. Nevertheless, and notwithstanding the fact 
 that we two constituted the whole family, I only saw 
 him during the intervals on shore of his sea-faring life. 
 Endowed with truly remarkable qualities and with an 
 energy that recognized no obstacles, he was the best 
 fellow in the world, as you must have observed for your- 
 self; but certainly he was also, from what I know of 
 him, a most original character. I don't believe that in 
 the course of his eventful career, he ever did a single 
 act like other men, unless, may be, in the getting of 
 children — yet even these were only his " god- children."
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 9 
 
 He has left fourteen in the Department of Le Gard, 
 scattered over the different estates on which he lived by 
 turns after he had quitted the East ; and we may well 
 believe he would not have stoj^ped short at that number, 
 but that four months ago, as he was returning from the 
 South Pole, he happened to die of a sunstroke, at the 
 age of sixty-three. This last touch completes the 
 picture of his life. As to his history, all that is known 
 of it is confined to the following facts : 
 
 At the age of twenty-two my uncle turned Turk, 
 from political conviction. This happened under the 
 Bourbons. The character of his services in Turkey 
 during the contests between Mehemet AH and the 
 Sultan v>'as never very clear, and I fancy he was rather 
 muddled about them himself, for he served both these 
 princes by turns with equal courage and equal devotion. 
 As it happened, he was on the side of Ibrahim at the 
 time that the latter defeated the Turks at the battle of 
 Konieh; but being carried away in that desperate charge 
 which he himself led, and which decided the victory, 
 my unfortunate uncle suffered the disgrace of falling 
 wounded into the hands of the vanquished party. Being 
 a prisoner to Kurchid-Pasha, and his wound having 
 soon healed, he was expecting to be impaled, when, to 
 his great joy, his punishment was commuted to that of 
 the galleys. There he remained three years without 
 succeeding in effecting his escape, when one fine day he 
 found his services in request just at the right time by 
 the Sultan, who appointed him Pasha, giving him a 
 command in the Syrian wars. What circumstance was
 
 10 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 it that cut short his political career ? How was it that 
 he obtained from the Pope the title of Count of the 
 Holy Empire ? Nobody knows. 
 
 All that is certain is that Barbassou-Pasha, tired of 
 his honours and having returned two years since to 
 settle down in Provence, started off one morning for 
 Africa, on a ship that he had bought at Toulon. 
 Henceforth he devoted himself to the spice trade. 
 
 It was after one of these voyages that he published 
 his celebrated ontological monograph upon the negro 
 races, a work which created some stir and gained for 
 him a most flattering report from the Academy. 
 
 These leading events of his Odyssey being known, the 
 more private facts and deeds of the life of Barbassou- 
 Pasha are lost in obscurity. As for his physical 
 characteristics, you will remember the great Marseillais 
 six-foot high, with sinewy frame and muscles of steel ; 
 your mind's eye can picture still the formidable, bearded 
 face, the savage and terrible eye, the rough voice, the 
 complete type in short of "the pirate at his ease," as 
 you used to say, when laughing sometimes at his quiet 
 humour. After all, an easy-going soul, and the best of 
 uncles ! 
 
 As for my own recollections, so far back as they go, 
 the following is all I have ever known of him. Being 
 continually at sea, he had placed me at school quite 
 young. One year, while at his chateau at Ferouzat, he 
 sent for me during the holidays. I was six years old, 
 and saw him for the first time. He held me up in his 
 arms to examine my face and features, then turning me
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. H 
 
 gently round in the air, he felt my sides, after which — 
 satisfied, no doubt, as to my build — he put me down 
 again with great care, as if afraid of breaking me. 
 
 " Kiss your aunt ! " he said. 
 
 I obeyed him. 
 
 My aunt at that time was a very handsome young 
 woman of twenty-two to twenty-four, a brunette with 
 great black, almond-shaped eyes, and fine features 
 on a perfect oval face. She placed me on her knees and 
 covered me with kisses, lavishing on me the most tender 
 expressions, among which she mingled words of a 
 foreign language which sounded like music, so sweet 
 and harmonious was her voice. I conceived a great affec- 
 tion for her. My uncle let me do just as I liked, and 
 allowed no hindrances to be put in my way. Thus it 
 happened that at the end of my holidays I did not 
 want to return to school again, and should certainly 
 have succeeded in getting my way, if it had not been 
 that Barbassou-Pasha's ship was waiting for him at 
 Toulon. 
 
 You may imagine with what joy I returned to 
 Ferouzat the next year. My uncle welcomed me with 
 the same delight, and betook himself to the same 
 examination of my physical structure. When his 
 anxieties were satisfied, he said to me — 
 
 "Kiss your aunt ! " 
 
 I kissed my aunt : but, as I kissed her, I was rather 
 
 surprised to find her very much altered. She had 
 
 become fair and pink-complexioned. A certain firm and 
 
 youthful plumpness, which suited her remarkably well, 
 
 B 2
 
 12 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 
 
 gave her the appearance of a girl of eighteen. Being 
 more bashful than at our former interview, she tendered 
 me her fresh cheeks with a blush. I noticed also that her 
 accent had undergone a modification, and now very much 
 resembled the accent of one of my school-fellows who 
 was Dutch. As I expressed my surprise at these 
 changes, my uncle informed me that they had just 
 returned from Java. This explanation sufficed for me, 
 I did not ask any more questions, and henceforth I 
 accustomed myself every year to the various meta- 
 morphoses of my aunt. The metamorphosis which 
 pleased me the least was that which she contracted after 
 a voyage to Bourbon, from which she returned a 
 mulattress, but without ceasing still to be remarkably 
 handsome. My uncle, it should be mentioned, was always 
 very good to her, and I have never known a happier 
 household. 
 
 Unfortunately Barbassou - Pasha, being engaged in 
 important affairs, stayed away three years, and when I 
 returned to Ferouzat, he kissed me and received me by 
 himself. When I asked after my aunt, he told me that 
 he was a widower. As this misfortune did not appear 
 to affect him very seriously, I made up my mind to treat 
 it with the same indifference that he did. 
 
 Since that time I never saw any woman at the 
 chateau, except once in an isolated part of the park, 
 where I met two shadowy beings, closely and mys- 
 teriously veiled. They were taking a walk, accom- 
 panied by an old fellow of singular aspect, clothed in a 
 long robe with a tarbouch on his head, who greatly
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 13 
 
 excited my curiosity. My uncle told me that this was 
 His Excellency, Mohammed- Azis, one of his friends at 
 Constantinople, whom he had taken in Avith his family 
 after they had undergone persecution at the hands of 
 the Sultan. He lod2;ed him in another little chateau 
 adjoining Ferouzat, in order that they might be able to 
 live more comfortably in Turkish style : those young 
 persons were two of his daughters. 
 
 After that year, I never again stayed in Provence : for 
 my uncle, having settled in China and Japan, was 
 absent five years, and my only relations with him were 
 through his banker at Paris, with whom I enjoyed that 
 solid and unlimited credit which you envied so much, 
 and of which I availed myself with such easy grace and 
 in such a superbly reckless spirit. 
 
 You remember that I received a few months ago a 
 letter announcing this sudden misfortune, and request- 
 ing my immediate presence at Ferouzat, to remove the 
 seals and open the will: my poor uncle had died in 
 Abyssinia. 
 
 Well, the day after my arrival, I had only just got 
 up, when Feraudet, the notary, was announced. He 
 came in, literally armed with documents. I did not 
 want to act like a greedy heir, but rather to put off for 
 a few days all the most material questions ; my notary, 
 however, informed me that "there were certain clauses 
 in the will which demanded an immediate examination." 
 My uncle had charged me, he said, with numerous 
 trusts and legacies " for the benefit of his god-children 
 and of other parties living a long distance off." All
 
 14 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 this was uttered in a mournful tone suited to the 
 occasion, and at the same time with the manner of a 
 person aware that he was the bearer of an extraordinarj'' 
 document, and preparing me for its effect. Finally he 
 opened the will, which was worded as follows : 
 
 ^•Chateau de Fer on zat, . . . IS . . 
 
 *' I, the undersigned, Claude- Anatole-Gratien Bar- 
 bassou. Count of Monteclaro, do hereby declare that I 
 elect and designate as my universal legatee and the sole 
 inheritor of my property : of all my real and personal 
 estate, and all that I am entitled to of every description 
 soever, such as .... , &c.: my nephew Jerome 
 Andre de Peyrade, the sou of my sister : And I hereby 
 command him to discharge the following legacies : 
 
 " To my much-beloved wife and legitimate spouse, 
 Lia Eachel Euphrosine Ben-Le^7■, milliner, of Con- 
 stantinople, and dwelling there in the suburb of Pera, 
 First, a sum of four thousand five hundred francs, 
 which I have agreed by contract to pay her; Second, 
 my house at Pera, in which she dwells, with all the 
 appendages and appurtenances thereof; and Third, a 
 sum of twelve thousand francs, to be distributed by 
 her, as it may please her, among the different childi-en 
 whom she has by me. 
 
 " Likewise, to my much-beloved wife and legitimate 
 spouse, Sophia Eudoxia, Countess of Monteclaro (whose 
 maiden name is De Cornalis), dwelling at Corfu : First, 
 a sum of five hundred thousand francs, which I have 
 agreed by contract to pay her ; Second, the clock and
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 15 
 
 the Dresden china, which stand on my mantle-piece ; 
 Third, ' The Virgin,' by Perugino, in my drawing- 
 room at Ferouzat. 
 
 " Likewise, to my much-beloved wife and legitimate 
 spouse, Marie Gretchen Van Cloth, dwelling at Amster- 
 dam : First, a sum of twenty thousand francs, which I 
 have agreed by contract to pay her ; Second, a sum of 
 sixty thousand francs, to be distributed by her, as it 
 may please her, among the different children whom 
 she has by me ; Third, my dinner-service in Delph, 
 known as No. 3 ; Fourth, a barrel-organ, set with four 
 of Haydn's symphonies. 
 
 *' Likewise, to my much-beloved wife and legitimate 
 spouse, Marie Louise Antoinette Cora de La Pescade, 
 dwelling at Les Grands Palmiers (He Bourbon), my 
 plantation upon which she lives, including the annexes 
 of Le Grand Morne. 
 
 "Likewise, to my much-beloved wife and legitimate 
 spouse, Anita Josepha Christina de Postero, dwelling 
 at Cadiz : First, a sum of twelve thousand francs, which 
 I have agreed by contract to pay her; Second, my 
 pardon for her little adventure with my lieutenant Jean 
 Bonaffe." 
 
 If some very precise person should seek to insinuate 
 his criticisms upon my uncle's matrimonial principles, 
 my reply would be that Barbassou-Pasha was a Turk 
 and a Mussulman, and that consequently he can only 
 be praised for having so faithfully obeyed the Laws of 
 the Prophet — laws which permitted him to indulge in
 
 IG . MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 
 
 all this hymeneal luxury without in the least degree 
 outraging the social proprieties — and for having in this 
 matter piously fulfilled a religious duty, which his 
 premature death alone, so far as we can judge, has 
 hindered him from accomplishing with greater fervour. 
 I trust that, the God of the Faithful will at least give 
 him credit for his efforts. 
 
 Having said so much on hehalf of a memory which is 
 dear to me, and having enumerated the chief clauses of 
 the will, I may add in a few words that, after the pay- 
 ment of my uncle's matrimonial donations, and the 
 various legacies to his "god-children," with those to 
 his sailors in addition, there remained for me ahout 
 thirty- seven million francs. 
 
 "But, these children of my uncle's ? " said I. 
 
 " Oh, sir ! everything is in order ! The Turkish law 
 not recognising marriages contracted abroad with un- 
 believers, excepting in the case of certain prescribed 
 formalities which your uncle happens to have neglected 
 to go through, it results that his will expresses his 
 deliberate intentions. Moreover, he had during his 
 lifetime provided for the future of all his people." 
 
 I listened with admiration. 
 
 " So much for the legal dispositions of the ^ill, sir," 
 said the notary, when he had finished reading it out. 
 
 "Now I have a sealed letter to hand to you, which 
 your uncle charged me to give after his death to you 
 alone. I was instructed in the case of your death 
 preceding his, to destroy it without acquainting myself 
 with its purport. You will understand, therefore, that
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 
 
 17 
 
 I knov/ nothing of its contents, which arc for you only 
 to read. Have the kindness, please, to sign this receipt, 
 declaring that you find the seals unbroken, and that I 
 have left it in your possession." 
 
 He presented a paper, which I read and signed. 
 
 *'Is that all?" I asked. 
 
 *' Not quite, sir," he replied, as he took another 
 package out of his pocket. " Here is a document simi- 
 larly sealed which was addressed to me. I was only to 
 open it in the case of your uncle's will becoming null 
 and void through your death preceding his. This docu- 
 ment, he told me, would then give effect to his final 
 wishes. Your presence being duly established, my 
 formal written instructions are to burn this document, 
 now rendered useless and purposeless, before your 
 eyes." 
 
 Again he made me attest that the seals were untam- 
 pered with, and taking up a candle from the writing- 
 table and lighting it, he forthwith committed to the 
 flames this secret document the provisions of which we 
 were not to know. He then departed. 
 
 When left alone, and still affected by these lively 
 recollections of my poor uncle, I began to think of the 
 letter which the notary had left with me. I divined 
 some mystery in it, and had a vague presentiment that 
 it would contain a decree of my destiny. This last 
 message from him, coming as it were from the tomb, 
 revived in my heart the grief which had hardly yet been 
 allayed. At last, trembling all the while, I tore open 
 the envelope. These were its contents : —
 
 18 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 
 
 *' My Dear Boy, 
 
 " When you read this, I shall have clone with 
 this world. Please me by not giving way too much to 
 your grief, and act like a man ! You know my ideas 
 about death : I have never allowed myself to be pre- 
 judiced into regarding it as an evil, convinced as I have 
 been, that it is nothing but the transition which leads 
 us to a superior state of existence. Adopt this view, 
 and do not cry over me like a child. I have lived my 
 life ; now it is your turn. My desire is, that this old 
 friend of yours should be cherished in your memory : 
 you shall join him with you in your happiness, by 
 believing that he takes part in it. 
 
 " Now let us have a talk. 
 
 " I leave you all my property, desiring to create no 
 business complications for you : my will is drawn up in 
 proper form, and you will enter into possession of your 
 inheritance, which, you may rest assured, is a pretty 
 handsome one. There is, hoAvever, one last wish of 
 mine for the fulfilment of which I rely simply upon your 
 affection, feeling sure that between us there is no need of 
 more complicated provisions for ensuring its execution. 
 
 " I have a daughter, who has always shared A\ith you 
 my dearest affections. If I have kept this second 
 paternity a secret from you, I have done so because 
 circumstances might occur which would render useless 
 the revelation which I am now approaching. My 
 daughter had a legal father who had the right to 
 reclaim her when sixteen years of age ; she is free now, 
 her legal father is dead, she will soon be seventeen, and
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 19 
 
 I entrust her to your charge. Her name is Anna Camp- 
 bell, she lives at Paris at the Convent of Les Oiseaux, 
 where she is completing her education. Her only rela- 
 tion is an aunt, her mother's sister, Madame Saulnier 
 by name, who lives at No. 20, Rue Barbet de Jouy. It 
 will be a sufficient introduction for you to call on this 
 lady and tell her your name. She is aware that I have 
 appointed you moral guardian to my daughter, and that 
 it is you who will take my place. In short, she knows 
 all my intentions. 
 
 "I underline these words, for they sum up my fondest 
 aspirations. I have brought up Anna with the view of 
 making her your wife, and thus dividing my fortune 
 between you ; and I rely upon you to carry out this 
 arrangement. If marriage is for a man but a small 
 matter, it is for a woman the most serious event in life. 
 With you, I am confident that the dear girl will never 
 be unhappy, and that is the thing of most importance. 
 If I never return from this last voyage, you will have 
 plenty of time to enjoy your bachelor's life ; but I count 
 upon your friendship to render me this little service by 
 marrying her when the right time arrives. At present 
 she is scarcely full-grown, and I think it will be best 
 for you to wait one or two years. I can assure you her 
 mother had a fine figure. You will find their portraits 
 in one of the velvet frames in the drawer of my desk. 
 (Don't make a mistake : it is the one numbered 9.) 
 
 "Now that this matter is settled, it only remains for 
 me to give you one last injunction. If Feraudet has 
 followed my instructions, as I suppose, he will have
 
 20 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 burnt a paper in your presence. This was a second 
 will, by which my daughter Anna Campbell would have 
 been appointed my universal legatee, had you not been 
 living. So long as all happened in the right order, you 
 surviving me, you will understand I should not have 
 wished to complicate your affairs, by leaving you con- 
 fronted with a lot of legal formalities and intricacies. 
 Such would be the consequence of a female minor who is 
 a foreigner inheriting jointly with you : this would have 
 plunged you into a veritable mire of technicalities, 
 restrictions, registrations, and goodness knows what. 
 Nevertheless, it is necessary to provide fully for the 
 possibility of an accident arising to you before your 
 marriage with Anna. Our property would go in that 
 case to collaterals .... and God only knows from how 
 many quarters of the world these would not be forth- 
 coming! As I wish my fortune to remain with my 
 children, it is indispensable that you should not forget 
 to make testamentary dispositions in favour of your 
 cousin, so that the whole property may go to her in the 
 event of your death, without any more dispute than 
 there has been in your own case. I leave this matter 
 in your hands. You will find at my bankers all the 
 indications of surnames, Christian names, and descrip- 
 tions which you will require to enumerate, on the first 
 page of my private ledger, where the account which was 
 opened for her commences, and yours also, forming a 
 separate banking account for you two. Madame 
 Saulnier is accustomed to draw what is required for her : 
 therefore, until your marriage, it is unnecessary for you
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 21 
 
 to occupy yourself with this detail — all you have to do 
 is to confirm her credit. 
 
 "Now that we have settled this matter, my dear boy, 
 go ahead ! I do not need, I am sure, to remind you to 
 think occasionally of your old uncle : I know you well, 
 and that satisfies me. I thank you for what you have 
 been to me, and bless you from the bottom of my heart ! 
 
 " Come, don't give way, old fellow : I am in Heaven, 
 my soul is free and rejoicing in the glories of the 
 Infinite. Is there anything in this for you to mourn 
 over ? Farewell." 
 
 After reading this letter, my dear Louis, need I tell 
 you that I did the contrary to what my poor uncle bade 
 me, and that I gave way to my grief. The tears 
 streamed down my cheeks, my heart was breaking, and 
 I could no longer see this last word, "Farewell," as I 
 pressed the letter to my lips. 
 
 Such a mixture of tenderness and elevation of tone, 
 such touching solicitude to console my grief, such 
 boundless confidence in my love and fidelity ! I felt 
 crushed with my grief, proud only to think that I was 
 worthy of the generosity with which this noble-hearted 
 man was overwhelming me, prodigal as a father in his 
 kindness. It seemed to me at that moment that I had 
 never loved him enough, and the grief at his loss 
 mingled itself with something like remorse. As if he 
 were able hear me, I swore to him that I would live for 
 the accomplishment of his wishes : from the depths of 
 my soul, indeed, I felt certain that he saw me.
 
 22 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 When the flow of my tears had ceased, I did not 
 want to tarry a moment in the accomplishment of his 
 last behests. I ran to his bed-chamber, opened his desk, 
 and found the two portraits. One, a valuable minia- 
 ture, represents a woman of twenty-five, the other is a 
 photograph of Anna Campbell at the age of fifteen. 
 Although not so pretty as her mother, perhaps, she has 
 a charming child-like face ; the poor little thing felt 
 uncomfortable, no doubt, when they made her sit, for 
 her expression is rather sulky and unnatural. Still she 
 gives promise of being attractive when she has passed 
 the awkward age. I felt myself suddenly possessed by 
 a sentiment of affection for this unknown cousin, whose 
 guardian I had become and whose husband I am to be. 
 Upon this cold picture I repeated to my uncle the oath 
 to obey his wishes; then, taking up a pen, I wrote a 
 will appointing Anna Campbell the universal legatee of 
 all the property which my unck left us. 
 
 But one part of my inheritance, the most remarkable 
 and the least expected, was at present unknown either 
 to the notary or to myself. 
 
 I don't wish to make myself out better than I really 
 am, my dear Louis : I must declare, nevertheless, that 
 in spite of the very natural bewilderment which I felt 
 on finding myself the owner of such a fortune, my first 
 thought, when once I had disposed of the legal matters, 
 was to pay a tribute of mournful regrets to the memory 
 of my poor uncle. I should have considered it base 
 ingratitude, not to say impiety on my part, to have
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 23 
 
 shown myself too eager to enjoy the weahh bequeathed 
 to me by so generous a benefactor. His loss really left 
 a cruel void in my heart. I decided, therefore, at least 
 to live a few months at Ferouzat. I wrote immediately 
 to the aunt of Anna Campbell, to express my resolution 
 to fulfil the wishes of my second father, begging her to 
 dispose of my services in every way as those of a pro- 
 tector and friend ready to respond to every appeal. 
 Four days afterwards, I received from her a most 
 cordial and elegantly-worded letter. She assured me 
 of her confidence in all the good accounts which 
 my uncle had given of me ; and she gave me news 
 of my fiancee, "who for one who is still only a 
 child, promises already to develop into an accom- 
 plished woman." 
 
 Having discharged these conventional duties, I shut 
 myself up in my retreat, and set to work. 
 
 For me to say that my retirement was not more dis- 
 tracted than I would have desired, might perhaps be 
 called a dangerous assertion ; but what could I do ? 
 Was it not my duty to acquaint myself with all that my 
 uncle bequeathed to me ? And the Lord knows what 
 marvels my chateau of Ferouzat contained ! Every day 
 I made some fresh discovery in rooms full of curious 
 furniture and antiquities of all ages and of all countries. 
 Barbassou-Pasha was a born buyer of valuable objects, 
 and the furniture was crammed with rich draperies, 
 hangings, costumes, and objects of art or curios : my 
 steward himself could not enumerate them all. 
 
 But the most delightful of all these marvels is cer-
 
 24 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 
 
 tainly Kasre-el-Nouzha, my neighbouring property. 
 Kasre-el-Nouzlia was a Turkish fancy of my uncle's. 
 These three Arabic words correspond to the Spanish 
 Buen-Retiro ; or, literally translated, they signify 
 "Castle of Pleasures." This was the retreat, sepa- 
 rated only by a party-wall from Ferouzat, that was 
 formerly inhabited by the exiled minister who had fled 
 from the persecutions of the Sultan. Picture to your- 
 self, hidden in a great park whose umbrageous foliage 
 concealed it from view, a delightful palace of the purest 
 Oriental architecture, surrounded by gardens, with 
 flowering shrubs covered with a wealth of blossoms, 
 standing in the midst of green lawns, a sort of Vale of 
 Tempe transplanted, one might imagine, from the East. 
 My uncle Barbassou, conscientious architect that he was, 
 had copied the plan from one of the residences of the 
 King of Kashmir. In the interior of the Kasre jon 
 might fancy yourself in the house of some grandee of 
 Stamboul or of Bagdad. Luxuries, ornaments, furni- 
 ture, and general domestic arrangements, have all been 
 studied with the taste of an artist and the exactitude 
 of an archaeologist. At the same time European com- 
 forts are gratefully mingled with Turkish simplicity. 
 The silken tapestries of Persia, the carpets of Smyrna 
 with those harmonious hues which seem to be borrowed 
 from the sun, the capacious divans, the bath-rooms, 
 and the stores, all contribute in short to the complete- 
 ness of an establishment, suitable to a Pasha residing 
 under the sky of Provence. A little door in the park- 
 wall gives access to this oasis. As you may guess, I
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 25 
 
 passed many an hour there, and I dreamt dreams of 
 " The Thousand and One Nights." 
 
 All this time I had never interrupted my labours; 
 for you need not suppose that my nabob's fortune could 
 make me forgetful of my inclinations towards science. 
 In the midst of my numerous follies, as you know very 
 well, and in spite of the distractions of the more or less 
 dissipated life which I have led up to my present happy 
 age of twenty- six, I have always preserved my love 
 of study, which fills up those hours of forced respite 
 that even the pleasures of the world leave to every 
 man who is conscious of a brain. The Polytechnic 
 School, and the search for x, in which my uncle trained 
 me, developed very inquisitive instincts in me. I ended 
 by acquiring a taste for transcendental ideas. This 
 taste is at least worth as much as that for angling. For 
 my part, I confess that I class among the molluscs men 
 who, being their own masters, content themselves with 
 eating, drinking, and sleeping, without performing any in- 
 tellectual labour. This is why you call me ''the savcmt." 
 
 I worked away, then, at my book with a veritable 
 enthusiasm, and my "Essay upon the Origin of Sen- 
 sation " had extended to several long chapters, when the 
 critical event occurred which I have undertaken to 
 relate to you. 
 
 I had lived thus all alone for two weeks. One evening^ 
 on my return from Aries, where I had been spending a 
 couple of days upon some business, I was informed that 
 His Excellency, Mohammed- Azis, the old friend of my 
 uncle, whom I remembered to have seen on one occasion,
 
 2G MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 
 
 had arrived at the chateau the evening before, not 
 having heard of the death of Barbassou-Pasha. I must 
 admit that this news gave me at the time very little 
 pleasure ; but in memory of my dear departed uncle, I 
 could not but give his friend the welcome he expected. 
 I was told that His Excellency had gone straight to his 
 quarters at Kasre-el-Nouzha, where he was accustomed to 
 dwell. I hastened to send my respects to him, begging 
 him to let me know if he would receive me. He sent 
 word that he was at my disposition and waiting for me. 
 I therefore set off at once to call upon him. 
 
 I found Mohammed-Azis on his door-step. Gravely 
 and sadly he received me with a salute, the respectful 
 manner of which embarrassed me somewhat, coming 
 from a man of his age. He showed me into the draw- 
 ing-room, in each of the four corners of which bubbled a 
 little fountain of perfumed water, in small basins of 
 alabaster garnished with flowers. He made me sit down 
 on the divan covered with a splendid silk material, and 
 which, very broad and very deep, and furnished with 
 numerous cushions, extends round the entire room. 
 When seated, I commenced uttering a few phrases of 
 condolence, but he replied to me in Turkish. 
 
 This mode of conversing had its difficulties, so he, 
 seeing that I could not understand him, started off into 
 a Sahir or Italianised French, pronounced in an accent 
 which I M'ill not attempt to describe. 
 
 "Povera Eccellenza Barbassou-Pacha ! — finito — 
 morto?" I replied in Italian, which he spoke 
 indifferently well. We thus managed to get along.
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 27 
 
 I then related to liim the accident which had brought 
 about the death of Barbassou, my uncle and his friend. 
 He listened to me with a greatly distressed air. 
 
 " Dunque voi signer padrone ? " he replied, uneasily ; 
 " voi heritare di tutto ? — ordinare ? — commandare ? " — 
 
 "Let me assure you, Your Excellency," I answered, 
 "nothing that concerns you will be changed by my 
 uncle's death. I shall make it a point of honour to fill 
 his place exactly." 
 
 He appeared satisfied with this reply, and breathed 
 freely, like a man relieved of a great burden. In another 
 minute he asked me if I would like to make the 
 acquaintance of all his people. 
 
 "I should be delighted, Your Excellency, if you would 
 present me to your family." 
 
 He walked towards the door and summoned them by 
 clapping his hands. 
 
 I was expecting to see the wives or daughters of my 
 host appear according to Mussulman custom, covered up 
 with their triple veils. An exclamation of surprise escaped 
 me when I saw four young persons enter, dressed in 
 beautiful Oriental costumes, their faces unveiled, and all 
 four endowed with such glorious beauty and youthful 
 grace that I was, for the moment, fairly dazzled. I took 
 them for his daughters. 
 
 Hesitating and bashful, they stopped a few steps from 
 
 me. In my bewilderment I could not find a word to 
 
 say to them, until after their father had said something 
 
 to them, they came up to me, first one, then another' 
 
 and with shy graces and indescribable charms, each 
 
 c 2
 
 28 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 bowed and saluted me with her hand to her forehead, 
 then took my hand and kissed it. 
 
 I must admit that I completely lost my head. I don't 
 know what I stammered out. I believe I assured them 
 that they and their father would find me, in the absence 
 of my uncle, their respectful and devoted friend ; but, as 
 they did not understand a word of French, my speech 
 was lost upon them. However that may have been, 
 after a minute or so they were sitting with their legs 
 crossed on the divan, and all I was anxious about was 
 to prolong my visit as much as possible. Mohammed 
 told me their charming names. These were, Kondje- 
 Gul, Hadidje, Nazli, and Zouhra. He, like a proud 
 father, was not backward in praising their beauty, and I 
 joined in chorus with him, and certainly succeeded in 
 flattering him by my enthusiasm regarding them. 
 
 Indeed, all four of them were of such striking beauty, 
 and yet so different in type, that you might have thought 
 them grouped together in order to form the most ravish- 
 ing picture, their large dark eyes, sweet, timid, and 
 languishing like the gazelle's, with that Oriental 
 expression which we do not meet with in these climes ; 
 lips which disclosed pearly teeth as they smiled ; and 
 complexions which have been preserved by the veil from 
 the sun's rays, and which — according to the ancient simile 
 — appeared really to be made up of lihes and roses. 
 In those rich costumes of silk or of Broussan gauze, 
 with their harmonious colours, revealing the forms of 
 their hips and of their bosoms, they exhibited attitudes 
 and movements of feline lissomness and exotic grace,
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 29 
 
 the voluptuous languor of wliich can only be realised 
 by those who have seen it in Mussulman women. 
 I imagined myself the hero of an Arabian story, and 
 mad fancies entered my brain. 
 
 While I was endeavouring, for appearance's sake, to 
 talk with their father as well as I could, they, growing 
 tamer by degrees, began to whisper together — now and 
 then came a little burst of laughter, in which I seemed 
 to detect some mischief. I playfully responded by 
 holding up my finger to let them know I guessed their 
 thoughts, and again they burst out laughing like sly 
 children — this going on until, after half an hour or so, 
 quite a nice feeling of famiharity was established 
 between us ; we talked by signs, and our eyes enabled 
 us almost to dispense -tt-ith the laborious intervention of 
 Mohammed's interpretations. Moreover, he seemed 
 delighted to see us frolicking in this way. 
 
 In order to teach them my name I pronounced several 
 times the word "Andre." They understood and tried 
 in their turn to make me say their names. Hadidje's 
 was the occasion of much laughter, by reason of my 
 difiEiculty in articulating the guttural breathing. Seeing 
 that I could not manage it, she held me by both hands, 
 her face almost touching mine, and shouted " Hadidje ! " 
 I repeated it, *' Hadidje ! " This was charming and 
 intoxicating. I had to take the same lesson from each 
 of them ; but when it came to the turn of Kondje-Gul, 
 it was a delii*ium of joy. By some chance she let slip a 
 word of Italian. I questioned her in this language, and 
 found she knew it pretty well. You may imagine my
 
 30 MY UNCLE BiVEBASSOU. 
 
 delight ! Immecliatel}- we overwlielmed each other with 
 a torrent of questions. Eer sisters watched us with 
 looks of amazement. 
 
 At this moment a Greek servant came in, followed by 
 two other women, bringing in the dinner on trays, 
 which they laid upon small low tables of ebony inlaid 
 with mother-of-pearl. 
 
 Propriety and good breeding impelled me to take my 
 leave after this very long visit, and I prepared to do so. 
 Upon this my young friends murmured out a concert of 
 confused words, in which I seemed to detect regret at 
 my departure. Fortunately His Excellency intervened 
 by inviting me to stay to dinner with them. 
 
 Need I tell you that I accepted ! 
 
 I sat down on the carpet, as they did, with my legs 
 crossed, and we commenced a delicious banquet. 
 Champagne was brought in for me, an attention which 
 I appreciated. My place was next to Nazli ; on my left 
 was Kondje-Gul, and opposite me, Hadidje and Zouhra. 
 I will not tell you what dishes were served, my thoughts 
 were set elsewhere. 
 
 " How old art thou ? " asked Kondje-Gul, employing 
 in her Italian, which was tinctured with Roumanian, 
 the Turkish form of address. 
 
 " Twenty- six," said I, " and how old art thou ? " 
 
 "Oh, I shall soon be eighteen." This "thouing" 
 of each other was charming. She then told me the 
 ages of the others. Hadidje was the eldest, she was 
 nineteen : Nazli and Zouhra were between seventeen 
 and eighteen, the age of fresh maturity among the
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 31 
 
 daughters of the East, who ripen earlier than ours. 
 Our gaiety and the prattle of their voices went on 
 without cessation; but as they were drinking nothing 
 but water, I said to Kondje-Gul, thoughtlessly, 
 " Won't you taste the wine of France ? " 
 At this proposition she gave such a scared little look 
 that the others asked her to explain what I had said. 
 This caused a great excitement, followed by a discussion 
 in which the father took part. I was beginning to fear 
 that I had given offence to them, when His Excellency 
 at last said a few words which seemed to be decisive. 
 Then Kondje-Gul, blushing all the while, and hesitat- 
 ing with divine gracefulness, took up my glass and 
 drank — first with a little grimace like a kitten trying 
 strange food, so droll and amusing was it ; then, later 
 on, with an air of satisfaction so real that all of them 
 burst out laughing. 
 
 By Jove, I must say that at this frank abundonment 
 I felt my heart beat just as if her lips had touched my 
 own in a kiss. Imagine what became of me when 
 Zouhra, Nazli, and Hadidje held out their hands all 
 at the same time to claim my glass. They passed 
 round the glass and drank, and I after them, perturbed 
 by emotions impossible to describe. This unconstraint 
 varied with bashful reserve, these fascinating scruples, 
 which they overcame one after another, fearing no doubt 
 to offend me by refusing things which they thought were 
 French customs ; all their Httle ways in fact stimulated 
 me, ravished me, and yet daunted me at times so much 
 that I dare no longer brave their looks — although the
 
 82 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 
 
 presence of their father was a sufficient guarantee of the 
 innocent character of these familiarities. 
 
 When the meal was over, the same Greek servants 
 cleared the tahles. Night-time arrived and they lighted 
 the chandeliers. Through the closed shutters there 
 came to us perfumes of myrtle and lilac. Cigarettes 
 were brought : Zouhra took one, lighted it, and after 
 dramng a few mouthfuls, offered it to me. I abandoned 
 myself to their caprices. 
 
 Now, Louis, can you picture your friend luxuriously 
 reclining on cushions, and surrounded by these four 
 daughters of Mahomet's Paradise, in their lovely sultana's 
 costumes, frolicking and prattling, and all four of them 
 so beautiful that I don't know which I should have pre- 
 sented with the apple if I had been Paris ? I assure you, 
 it required an effort to convince myself that all this was 
 real. After a little while I noticed that Mohammed Azis 
 was no longer present ; but thanks to Kondje-Gul, who 
 had quite become my interpreter, our conversation became 
 brisk and general. Hadidje taught me a Turkish game 
 which is played with flowers, and which I won't try to 
 describe to you, as I hardly understood it. 
 
 If I were to tell you all that happened that evening, 
 I should be relating a story of giddy madness and 
 intoxication- I taught them in return the game of "hunt 
 the slipper ; " you know it, don't you ? We pla3'ed it as 
 follows : there was a ribbon knotted at both ends, which 
 we held, sitting on the floor in a circle, and on which 
 slips a ring, which one of the players must seize in his 
 hands. This, upon my word, finished me up. What
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 33 
 
 laughter, and what merry cries ! Each of them, caught 
 in her turn, chose me of course as her mark. Every 
 moment I found myself seized and held prisoner in their 
 naked, snowy arms. Upon my soul, it was maddening ! 
 
 It was nearly midnight when His Excellency returned. 
 I had lost all reckoning of the time; now I felt I must really 
 make off. While I was getting ready and saying a few 
 words to Kondje-Gul, Mohammed Azis spoke to Zouhra, 
 Nazli, and Hadidje. I fancied that he was questioning 
 them, and that they replied in the negative. Then he 
 spoke at greater length to Kondje-Gul ; he appeared to 
 me to be pressing her to give him an account of my 
 conversation with her, and that the result did not please 
 him. I was annoyed with myself at the thought that, 
 maybe, I had been the cause of her being reprimanded. 
 At last he certainly ordered them to retire, for they 
 came to me, one after the other, and each of them, as 
 on entering, bowed to me in a respectful manner, 
 saluting me with her hand to her forehead, and kissed 
 my hand ; after this they went out, leaving me in a 
 frame of mind disordered beyond description. 
 
 I was just about to offer some apologies to Mahom- 
 med, and make my peace with him before I left (for I 
 feared that he might for the future place obstacles in 
 the way of similar evening performances), when he said 
 to me, with an anxious air, in that dialect of his which 
 I translate, in order to avoid reproducing the scene of 
 the mamamouchis in the " Bourgeois Gentilhomme : " 
 
 " May I be allowed to hope that your lordship is 
 satisfied ? "
 
 34 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 " Satisfied, Your Excellency ? " I exclaimed, affection- 
 ately grasping bis hands ; " why, I am delighted ! You 
 could not give me greater pleasure in this world than 
 by treating me exactly as you treated my uncle." 
 
 '* The young ladies, then, did not displease your 
 lordship ? " 
 
 " Your daughters ? Why, they are adorable ! My 
 only fear is lest I should not find them reciprocate the 
 sentiments which they inspire in me." 
 
 " Ah ! Then it is not because your lordship is dis- 
 pleased that you will not remain here to-night ? " added 
 he, with an anxious look. 
 
 " That I will not remain here ? " I replied. " What 
 do you mean ? " 
 
 " Why, Your Excellency has not expressed his will to 
 any of them." 
 
 "My will! What will, then, could I express to 
 them ? " 
 
 " Considering that they belong to your lordship," he 
 continued. 
 
 " They belong to me ? Who ? " 
 
 " Why, Kondje-Gul, Zouhra, Hadidje, Nazli." 
 
 " They belong to me ? " replied I, overcome with 
 stupefaction. 
 
 " Certainly," said Mahommed, looking as astonished 
 as I did. " His Excellency, Barbassou-Pasha, your 
 uncle, whose eunuch I had the honour of being, com- 
 manded me to purchase four maidens for his harem. 
 Since he is dead, and your lordship takes his place as 
 master — I had supposed — "
 
 MY UNCLE BAHBASSOU. 85 
 
 "All! ! ! " 
 
 I won't attempt to render for you tlie full force of 
 the exclamation to which I gave vent. You may guess 
 the feelings conveyed in it. In very truth I thought I 
 should go out of my senses this time. The dream of 
 *' The Thousand and One Nights " was being realised in 
 my waking hours ! This extraordinary and sumptuous 
 palace was a harem, and this harem was mine ! These 
 four Scheherazades, whose glorious youthfulness and 
 fascinating charms had scorched me like fire, they were 
 my slaves, and only awaited a sign or token of my 
 desire ! 
 
 Mohammed, incapable of conceiving my agitation, 
 regarded me with a pitiful, confused look, as if he 
 anticipated some disgrace. At this moment the old 
 Greek woman brought him the keys : there were four. 
 He handed them to me. 
 
 " Thank you," I said ; " now you may leave me." 
 
 He obeyed, saluted me without a word, and went out. 
 
 As soon as I found myself alone, not intending to 
 restrain my feelings any more, I began to march about 
 the drawing-room like a madman, and gave free vent to 
 the outburst of a joy which overwhelmed me. I picked 
 up from the carpet a ribbon dropped there by Kondje- 
 Gul, I pressed it to my lips with avidity ; next some 
 scattered flowers, with which Hadidje and Zouhra had 
 played. 
 
 Louis, I hope you do not expect me to analyse for 
 your benefit all the extraordinary sensations which I 
 experienced at that moment. The events which bcfel
 
 36 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 me verged upon the supernatural — the supernatural 
 cannot be described — and I know not any legend, 
 romance, or novel, relating to this world, w^hich has 
 ever treated such an astounding situation as that of 
 which I was the hero. Those severe middle-class 
 parents who give their daughters, for New Year's pre- 
 sents, M. Galland's " Arabian Nights," with illustra- 
 tions of the amorous adventures of the Caliph of 
 Bagdad, would find such a romance as mine quite too 
 *' strong," simply because the scene is not laid in Persia, 
 or at Samarcand. Nevertheless, my story is identical 
 in character, and the most modest young lady might 
 read it without a frown, if only my name were Hassan 
 instead of Andre. 
 
 Would you like to know everything that can agitate 
 the mind of a mortal in such a position as mine ? 
 Listen, then. 
 
 When I had succeeded in reducing to some extent 
 my exaltation of spirit, when I had at last persuaded 
 myself of the reality of this splendid fairyland, I sat 
 down with my elbows on the window-sill — I felt the 
 need of a little fresh air. It was just striking midnight. 
 What were they doing? Were they thinking of me, 
 I wondered, as much as I was thinking of them ? I 
 began to examine the four keys which Mohammed had 
 left me. Each key had a tiny label, with a letter and a 
 name on it — Nazli, Zouhra, Hadidje, or Kondje-Gul. 
 My eyes were still filled with their beauty. Although 
 far from artless, I felt embarrassed in spite of myself,
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 37 
 
 I might almost say shj. After the fascinations of this 
 evening, I knew that I was in love ; I loved with a 
 strange passion suddenly developed; I loved to over- 
 flowing these beautiful beings, without being able to 
 separate one from another. So completely were they 
 mingled in my fancy, they might have possessed but one 
 soul between them. By reason of my certitude of equal 
 possession, Kondje-Gul, Hadidje, Nazli, and Zouhra 
 constituted in my imagination a single existence, exhaling 
 its unrivalled perfume of youth, beauty, and love. 
 
 All this may appear absurd to you. I daresay you 
 are right, but I am only analysing for you an enchant- 
 ment which still influences me like a dream. While 
 longing for the virginal delights which awaited me, my 
 tumultuous senses were plunged into certain appre- 
 hensions at once anxious and sweet. How am I to 
 explain it to you ? Sultan though I have been in my 
 life, never before have I come in for such a delightful 
 windfall of pleasures, my heart having been generally 
 occupied, as you know, with much less worthy objects. 
 All at once I was overwhelmed by the idea that they 
 had doubtless misunderstood the reserve which I had 
 afi'ected in their company. According to their harem 
 traditions, customs, and laws, I was their legitimate 
 master and husband : was it not quite likely, then, that 
 they believed me indifferent or even disdainful of their 
 charms ? Troubled at this reflection, I was seized with 
 a dreadful pang of conscience. What could they sup- 
 pose ? Good heavens ! Ought I to wait till the next 
 day to dissipate their doubts, and justify myself for such
 
 38 aiY UNCLE BAKBASSOU. 
 
 strange coldness — coldness which may have seemed 
 like indifference ? I had no sooner conceived this 
 thought than my desire concentrated itself upon one 
 ohject, to see Kondje-Gul again. 
 
 I knew all the domestic arrangements of El Nouzha. 
 In the centre of the edifice is a vast circular hall, to 
 which the daylight is admitted by a cupola of ground 
 glass, supported by pillars of white marble. Lamps 
 hanging between the pillars give out a mysterious light. 
 Once arrived there, I listened. All was silent. I found 
 Kondje-Gul's chamber, and went close up to it. I 
 listened again, with my ear to the door. An indistinct 
 rustling which I heard, apprized me that she was not 
 yet in bed. With key in hand, I still hesitated before 
 opening. At last I made up my mind. 
 
 Picture to yourself a sweetly perfumed room, both 
 rich and coquettish in its arrangements, lined with 
 Indian silk hangings of gay colours, and illumined by 
 the soft light of a small chandelier of three branches. 
 In front of a large glass Kondje-Gul was seated, her 
 long hair reaching down to the floor. With her bare 
 arms uplifted, and her head turned backwards, she held 
 in her hand a golden comb. Seeing me, she uttered a 
 little cry, got up with a bound, and blushing all the 
 while, and tixing upon me her great frightened eyes, 
 she rested motionless and almost in a tremble. Her 
 agitation communicated itself to me. 
 
 ** Did I frighten you ? " I commenced, trying to speak 
 with a firm voice ; " and will you pardon me for coming 
 in like this?"
 
 ]VIY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 39 
 
 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. 
 
 "Kondje-Gul ! Dear Kondje-Gul ! " I exclaimed, 
 touched to the depths of my soul by this act of sub- 
 mission. 
 
 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 in- 
 expressible 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 Hadidje, 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
 
 40 
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU 
 
 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 Ferouzat ; 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. 
 
 * * P A-ml mv
 
 '*'%.• .-5 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 
 Madam, let me be very candid ; I have a warm tem- 
 perament, certainly — more so, perhaps, than an ordinary 
 ProYen9al. I will confess to even more than this, if your 
 grace so wills it, and I will not blush for it ; but pray 
 condescend to believe that I am also a respecter of con- 
 ventional proprieties, and that I should feel most keenly 
 the loss of your esteem in this regard. Now, from a 
 few words of satirical Avit, concealed like small serpents 
 under the flowery condolences of your malicious letter, 
 I concluded that this miserable fellow Louis, abandon- 
 ing all considerations of delicacy, and at the risk^of
 
 42 MY UNCLE BABBASSOU. 
 
 ruining my reputation, had played me a most abomin- 
 able trick, by reading out to you all the nonsense which 
 I wrote to him last week. You need not deny it ! He 
 confesses it to-day, unblushingly, in the budget of news 
 which he sends me, adding that you " laughed over it." 
 Good gracious ! what can you have thought of me ? 
 After such a story, I certainly could never again look 
 you in the face, but that I can clear myself by assuring 
 you at once that all this tale was nothing but a mystifi- 
 cation, invented as a return for some of his impertinent 
 chaff regarding my uncle Barbassou's will. Louis fell 
 into the trap like any booby. But for him to have 
 drawn you with him, is enough to make me die of shame. 
 
 Madam, I prefer now to make my confession. I am 
 not the hero of a romance of the Harem. I am a good 
 young man, an advocate of morality and propriety, not- 
 withstanding the fact that you have often honoured me 
 with the title of " a regular original." Be so good as 
 to believe, then, that the most I have been guilty of is a 
 too artless simplicity of character. I did not suppose that 
 Louis would show you this eccentric letter, for I had 
 expressly enjoined him to keep it from you. My only 
 crime therefore in all this matter has been that I forgot 
 that a woman of your intelligence would read everything, 
 when she had the mind to do so, and a husband like 
 yours. 
 
 In fact, madam, I hardly know why I have taken the 
 trouble to excuse myself with so much deliberation. I 
 perceive that by such apologies I run the risk of aggra- 
 vating my mistake. What did I write, after all, but a
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 43 
 
 very commonplace specimen of those Arabian stories 
 which girls such as you have read continually in 
 the winter evenings, under the eyes of their delighted 
 mothers ? When I consider it, I begin to understand 
 that your laughter, if jou did laugh, must have been at 
 the feebleness of my imagination — you compared it 
 with the Palace of gold and the thousand wives of the 
 Caliph Haroun-al-Easchid. — But please remember, once 
 more, that I am a poor Provencal and not a Sultan. 
 
 " My tastes are those of a simple bachelor." 
 
 Observe moreover that, out of regard for probability, 
 no less than from respect for local colouring, I was 
 obliged to decide upon a somewhat simple harem, and 
 to confine it within the strictly necessary limits. Like 
 a school-boy, falling in love with the heroine he has put 
 into his story, I found myself so charmed with my 
 fancy, that in order to further enjoy my pleasures of 
 illusion, I determined not to overstep the limits of a 
 perfectly realisable adventure. 
 
 But since I abandoned myself to this folly, docs it 
 not seem to you, reconsidering the matter, that a great 
 deal would have been lost if such a romance had never 
 occurred to me ? And above all if it had stopped short 
 at the first page ? Is it not astonishing that no author 
 had thought of writing such a thing before ? Would 
 not this have been just the work for a moralist and a 
 philosopher, worthy at once of a poet and of a scholar ? 
 This poor world of ours, madam, moves in a narrow 
 circle of passions and sensations, so limited that it
 
 44 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 
 
 seems to me as if every soul rather more lofty than the 
 average must continually feel itself imprisoned. What 
 felicity it must he, hy a single flight of the imagination, 
 to escape from this prison locked by prejudice ! To fly 
 away into the regions of dreamland ! Slave of our 
 civilized conventions, what bliss to run away unfettered 
 into the shady paths of the pagan world, peopled with 
 its merry, enchanting nymphs ! Or again to wander, 
 like a happy child of Asiatic climes in gardens of syca- 
 mores, where young sultanas bathe and disport them- 
 selves in basins of porphyry. The Bois de Boulogne is 
 a charming place, no doubt, madam ; but you will admit 
 that it is inferior to the Valley of Roses, and that the 
 painted and bedizened young women you see there will 
 bear no comparison with my houris. 
 
 What, then ? Does my thirst after the ideal merit 
 any censure ? Do not you consider, you who read 
 novels, that it would, on the contrary, be an instructive 
 as well as a curious study to follow up the strange 
 incidents which would necessarily result from such a 
 very natural conjunction of oriental love transferred to 
 the midst of our ovm world? What contrasts they 
 would provoke, and what strange occurrences ! Does 
 not the absence of such a study leave a void in our 
 illustrious literature ? 
 
 But I divine upon your lips a word which frightens 
 me — " Immoral ! Immoral ! " you say. 
 
 Madam, this word shows me that you are strangely 
 mistaken about my pure intentions. You are a woman 
 of considerable intelligence ; let us understand each
 
 IMY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 45 
 
 other like philosophers or morahsts. Suppose my name 
 to be Hassan. You would read without the least ruSae 
 on your brow the very simple narrative of my pretended 
 amours, and if they were hindered by any untoward 
 obstacles, you would perhaps accord them a small tribute 
 of tears, such as you have doubtless shed over the mis- 
 fortunes of poor Namouna. The question of morality 
 therefore, is in this case simply a question of latitude, 
 and the impropriety of my situation would disappear at 
 once if I inhabited the banks of the Bosphorus, or some 
 palace at Bagdad. 
 
 Perhaps you take your stand upon the more elevated 
 ground of "sentiment?" Well, this is precisely the 
 pyschological point of view that I am about to discuss, 
 madam. Yes, if it were only in order to inquire whether 
 the human soul freed from all constraint, is capable of 
 infinite expansion, like a liberated gas. To mix positive 
 and materialist science with etherialised sensualism, 
 such is my object. A simple passion, we all know what 
 that is ; but to adore four women at a time — while so 
 many honest folk are well content to love one only — 
 this seems to me a praiseworthy aspiration, fit to inspire 
 the soul of a poet who prides himself upon his gallantry, 
 no less than the brain of a philosopher in search of the 
 vital elixir and the sources of sensation. Such a study 
 would, assuredly, be arduous and severe, and would at 
 any rate not be without glory, as you will admit, if it 
 should happen to terminate logically in the triumph of 
 the sublime Christian love over pagan or Mahometan 
 polygamy.
 
 46 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 
 
 Again, madam, in reprimanding me for my poor little 
 harem, do you mean to preach against King David, or 
 the seven hundred wives of Solomon ? Without going 
 back to the biblical legends of these venerable sovereigns, 
 have you not read the classics ? In what respect, may 
 I ask, is the poem of Don Juan more moral than my 
 subject ? And did good old Lafontaine drop any of his 
 artless probity, when he dipped his pen into the Boccac- 
 cian inkpot ? The morality of a given book, madam, 
 depends entirely upon the morality of its author, who 
 respects himself first by respecting his public, and who 
 will not lead the latter into bad company, not wishing to 
 corrupt it with bad sentiments. 
 
 It gives me pleasure to draw the picture of those 
 ideal amours which every warm-blooded youth of twenty 
 has at one time or other cherished in his thoughts ; 
 to substitute virginal charms and graces for vice and 
 harlotry — and after the manner of those charming 
 heathen poets who have so often filled our dreams with 
 their fancies, to mingle the anacreontic with the idyllic. 
 Open any of your moral stories, madam, and I'll wager 
 my harem you will find that the interest in them is 
 always kept up by adultery, in thought or in deed, which 
 has been erected into a social institution ! The same 
 Minotaur has served for us since the time of Menelaus. 
 Adultery, adultery, always adultery ! it is as inevitable 
 as it is monotonous ! 
 
 Do you prefer the novel of the day, on the lives and 
 habits of courtesans ? revelations of the boudoir, where 
 all is impure, venal, and degrading ? No, madam, I
 
 Srr UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 47 
 
 won't proceed any further, out of respect alike for you 
 and for my pen. 
 
 Possibly your taste inclines you to those moralist's 
 studies of " Woman," in which the author warns his 
 readers on the first page that " he does not speak for 
 chaste ears." Madam, it is my boast that I have never 
 written a line which a virtuous woman might not read. 
 .... My book will certainly lose thereby in the circu- 
 lation which it will obtain ; but I shall console myself 
 by the thought that if I sometimes cause you to smile, 
 that smile will never be accompanied by a blush. Being 
 the nephew of a Pasha, it struck me as a capital idea to 
 lay the scene of a Turkish romance in Provence, and to 
 found upon it a study in psychology. Every romance 
 must be based upon love. Am I to be blamed, there- 
 fore, because oriental customs prescribe for lovers dif- 
 ferent modes of love ? Confess, if you please, that my 
 heroines are more poetic than the young women a la 
 mode, into whose company I had as much right as any 
 other author to conduct my hero if I had so chosen. I 
 will excuse myself by saying, like the simpleton T)e 
 Chamfort, "Is it my fault if I love the women I do 
 love better than those I don't 1 " 
 
 P.S. Above all things, not a word to Louis about the 
 mystification of which I am making him a victim. 
 
 You WTetch ! here's a fine pickle you've got me 
 into ! What, after I confided to you the extraordinary 
 adventures which I have passed through, relying upon 
 
 J) 2
 
 48 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 
 
 your absolute secrecy aud discretion, you go straight ojEf 
 and read my letter to your wife, at the risk of bringing 
 upon me by your recklessness the most cruel gibes on 
 the subject of my pasha-ship ! Can't you see that if this 
 story gets wind, Paris will be too hot a place for me ? 
 I shall become the butt of the Society journals and the 
 halfpenny press, who will treat me as a most eccentric 
 and romantic personage. Never more shall I be able to 
 set foot in club, theatre, or private drawing-room, with- 
 out being followed by the stares of the inquisitive and 
 the quiet chaff of the ribald ! I can picture myself 
 already in the Bois, with all the loafers in my train 
 pointing out " the man with the harem." Have you 
 lost your senses, that you have betrayed me in this 
 abominable fashion ? 
 
 In all seriousness I now rely upon you to repair 
 this blunder, by accepting, in the eyes of your wife, the 
 part of one mystified, which I have made you assume. 
 I wrote to her that not one word of this story is true, 
 and that it is a romance I have been composing in order 
 to occupy the leisure hours which I am forced to pass 
 m the solitude of Ferouzat, while the business connected 
 with my inheritance is being wound up. In short, as 
 I am positive that the first thing she will do will be to 
 show you her letter, I expect you, if your friendship is 
 good for anything, to pretend to believe it. Upon this 
 condition only will I continue my confidences ; and I 
 suspend them until you have given me your word of 
 honour to observe discretion.
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 49 
 
 Having received your promise, Louis, I now resume 
 my narrative at the point where I broke oJBf. Now you 
 will see what you might have lost. 
 
 Just one word by way of preface. 
 
 I am relating to you, my dear friend, a story which 
 is more especially remarkable for the multitude of 
 unaccustomed sensations with which it abounds, and 
 which I experience at every step — for my amourous 
 adventures, as you will agree, bear no resemblance to 
 the ready-made class of amours. It would really have 
 been a great loss for the future of psychology, if the 
 hero of such adventures had not happened to be, as I 
 am, a philosopher capable of bringing to bear upon 
 them powers of correct analysis. 
 
 First of all, if you wish really to understand the 
 peculiarities of my situation, you must banish from 3'our 
 mind all that you have ever known of such amours as 
 come within the reach of the poor Lovelaces of our 
 everyday world. Those uncertain, ephemeral connec- 
 tions of lovers and mistresses whose only law is their 
 caprice, and which mere caprice can dissolve ; those 
 immoral and dubious ties whose permanence nothing 
 can guarantee, and in which one jostles one's rival of 
 yesterday and of the morrow — in all amours of this sort 
 there is something precarious and humiliating. With 
 our habits and customs no secret, no mystery, is pos- 
 sible ; for however loving or beloved a woman may be, 
 her beauty is exposed to every eye. It is like the enjoy- 
 ment of communal property. In my harem, on the 
 contrary, the charms of Zouhra, Nazli, and Koudje-Gul,
 
 50 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 concealed from all other eyes, have never excited any 
 passions but mine; my tranquil possession is undisturbed 
 by the anxious jealousies ^yhich recollections of a former 
 rival always awaken. Nor is the future less assured 
 than the present, for their lives are my property ; they 
 are my slaves, and I their master, in charge of their 
 souls. So much for my preface ; now I will proceed. 
 
 I will not disparage your powers of memory by re- 
 minding you that my interesting narrative was broken 
 off au jjremier lendemain — at the first glimmer of our 
 honeymoon. The complete bliss, the enchantment of 
 such moments, is certainly the most exquisite thing I 
 have experienced. First the timid blushes, then the 
 growing boldness and the fresh impression of first sensa- 
 tions — all this and more, mingled with the contentment 
 of entire possession. One gives oneself up entirely; 
 all barriers are broken down by love — participation in 
 one tender secret has already united the lovers' souls, 
 which seek each other and mingle together in a common 
 existence. 
 
 I had returned to the chateau before my people were 
 up ; after a bath I slept again, and did not wake before 
 noon. I breakfasted, and then waited till two o'clock 
 before returning to El-Nouzha. Too great a haste 
 would have seemed to indicate a want of delicacy, and I 
 wished to show that I was discreet as well as passionate ; 
 this time of day seemed appropriate from both points of 
 view. 
 
 To describe to you the condition of my feelings would 
 be about as easy, you may imagine, as to describe a
 
 MY UNCLE BARBA.SSOU. 51 
 
 display of fireworks. There are certain perturbations of 
 the heart which defy analysis. The enchantment which 
 held me spell-bound, intoxicated my mind like fumes of 
 haschisch, and I could hardly recognise myself in this 
 fairy-world character ; it required an effort on my part 
 to assure myself of my own identity, and that I was not 
 misled by a dream. No, it was myself sure enough ! 
 Then I remembered that I was going to see them again. 
 My darlings were waiting for me. No doubt they had 
 already exchanged confidences. What kind of reception 
 should I have ? My duties as Sultan were so new to 
 me that I trembled lest I should commit some mistake 
 which would lower me in their eyes ; I was walking 
 blindfold in this paradise of Mahomet, of whose laws I 
 was ignorant. Ought I to maintain the dignified bear- 
 ing of a vizir, or abandon myself to the tender attitudes 
 of a lover ? In my perplexities I was almost tempted 
 to send for Mohammed-Azis, to request of him a few 
 lessons in deportment as practised by the Perfect Pasha 
 of the Bosphorus ; but perhaps he would disturb my 
 happiness ? As to introducing a hierarchy into my 
 harem, I would not hear of such a thing ; for to tell the 
 truth, the choice of a favourite would be an impossibility 
 for me. I loved them all four with an equal devotion, 
 and could not even bear the thought of their being 
 reduced to three without feeling the misery of an 
 unsatisfied love. 
 
 At last the hour having arrived without my mind 
 being decided, I wisely determined to act as circum- 
 stances might dictate, and started ofi" in the direction
 
 52 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 of my harem. I think I have ah-eady told you that a 
 email door of which I alone possess the key, com- 
 municates between my park and El-Nouzha. From 
 this door a sort of labyrinth leads to the Kasre by a 
 single narrow alley, which one might take for a disused 
 path. When I reached the last turn in this alley which 
 terminates in the open gardens, I perceived under the 
 verandah Mohammed- Azis, who seemed to be watching 
 me — he ran towards me with an eager and delighted 
 appearance, and salem aleks without end. 
 
 By his first words I gathered that he knew all. 
 
 When I asked after them, he told me that I was ex- 
 pected ; then all at once I heard merry voices, followed by 
 the noise of hurrying footsteps mingled with rustlings 
 of silk dresses. Soon I saw coming out under the 
 verandah, struggling together to be the first to reach 
 me, Hadidje, Nazli, Kondje-Gul and Zouhra ; they 
 threw themselves into my arms all four at once, laugh- 
 ing like children, hugging me, and holding up their 
 rosy lips, each vying with the other for my first kiss. 
 What laughter, what merry, bird-like warbling of voices ! 
 And all this with the natural abandonment of youth and 
 simplicity — I was about to say innocence — so much so 
 that I was quite taken aback. But all of a sudden, at a 
 word from Mohammed, who was looking at us afiec- 
 tiouately, and more and more delighted every minute, 
 they stopped quite confused. He had, no doubt, repri- 
 manded them for some breach of decorum, for they, 
 slipping gently aside, held their hands up to their 
 foreheads. You may guess I soon cut short these
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 53 
 
 respectful formalities, by drawing them back into my 
 arms. . . . Whereupon renewed laughter and merriment 
 ensued, accompanied with little glances of triumph at 
 poor Mohammed, who assumed a scandalised expression, 
 lifting up his hands as if to make Heaven a witness that 
 he was not responsible for this neglect of all Oriental 
 etiquette ! After this scene, you will easily understand 
 that I did not trouble my head any more about the 
 difficulties which I had anticipated in my family duties. 
 I had apprehended a very delicate situation, aggravated 
 by growing jealousies ; by the susceptibilities of rivals, 
 offended airs, perhaps even the reproaches and tears oi 
 betrayed love. 
 
 Five minutes later we were running about the gardens. 
 Having only arrived two days before, they had not yet 
 been outside the harem. The sight of their domain 
 pleased them immensely, and their young voices prattled 
 away with a musical volubility fit to gladden the hearts 
 of the very birds. At each step they made some new 
 discovery, some bed of flowers, or some shady path at 
 the bottom of which the sound of a waterfall could be 
 heard, carried off by sparkling brooks running on beds 
 of moss over the whole length of the park until they 
 lost themselves in the lake ; over these brooks v/ere 
 placed at intervals little foot-bridges painted in bright 
 colours. All these things gave rise to questions. 
 Naturally Kondje-Gul was always the interpreter ; they 
 all listened, opening their eyes wide ; then they started 
 off again, plucking flowers from the bushes, which they 
 placed in their hair, in their bosoms, and round their
 
 54 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 
 
 necks. In order to attract my admiration for these 
 adornments, each of them kept running up to me as if 
 she wanted a kiss. 
 
 If you want to know the thoughts and feelings of a 
 mortal under these circumstances, I must confess that 
 it is quite beyond my power to explain them to you. I 
 was bewildered, captivated, and surprised by such novel 
 sensations that without reflection or conscious analysis, 
 I simply abandoned myself to them. If you wish to 
 understand them, my dear fellow, you must first acquire 
 some aesthetic notions which, artist though you are, you 
 do not yet possess ; you must familiarise yourself with 
 these entirely exotic charms of the daughters of the 
 East, their youthful simplicity and ease combined with 
 a certain voluptuous nonchalance, the undulating move- 
 ments of their hips acquired by the habit of moving 
 about in Oriental slippers, their lissom and feline 
 graces, and the overwhelming fascination of their lan- 
 guishing eyes. You must see them in these strange pic- 
 turesque costumes, so artistically revealing their graceful 
 forms, in wide silk trousers, tied round at the ankles, and 
 drawn in at the waist by a rich scarf of golden gauze : you 
 must see them in their jackets embroidered with pearls, 
 and open bodices of Broussan silk transparent as gauze ; 
 or in the long robe open in front, the train of which they 
 hold up by fastening it to the waist when they want to 
 walk about freely — all these things in soft well-toned 
 colours, blending wonderfully together. It was a 
 dazzling scene of fresh beauty and strange enchantment, 
 such as I cannot attempt to describe.
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 55 
 
 Once we arrived at the end of a ravine, wliere we 
 were obliged to cross the brook by stepping-stones set 
 in its bed. Thereupon they cried out with fright. I 
 prevailed upon Zouhra, who seemed to be the bravest, 
 to cross holding my hand. Hadidje followed her ; but 
 when it came to Nazli's turn, the timid creature hung 
 to my neck as if terrified by some great danger; so I 
 took her up in my arms and carried her across to the 
 opposite side. Kondje-Gul, like a coquette that she 
 is, followed her example. 
 
 " Oh ! carry me too," she cried. 
 
 As I was holding her over the brook, one of her 
 slippers fell into the water. You may guess how they 
 laughed ; there was Kondje-Gul hopping about on one 
 foot while I was fishing out the little sandal, which I 
 had to dry in order to avoid wetting her soft green-silk 
 stocking. 
 
 It was one of the most charming spots in the park : 
 a great carpet of turf shaded by a clump of sycamores. 
 We all sat down. . . 
 
 You have, doubtless, seen plenty of pictures on the 
 subject of " Dreams of Happiness." There is a delightful 
 garden, at the bottom of which stands the temple of 
 Love; the figures, handsome young men and hand- 
 some young women, are always found reclining. Well, 
 if you exclude from such a picture details somewhat too 
 academic for Ferouzat, you may see me on the grass, 
 enjoying the fresh air with my houris lying down 
 around me, in the charming abandoned attitudes of 
 young nymphs who have never heard of such a thing as
 
 56 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 stays, but display in bold relief the well-rounded forms 
 of their beautiful and lissom figures. 
 ^ I had passed my arm round Zouhra's neck ; she, with 
 a fond look, rested her head against me, and Hadidje 
 imitated her on the other side. I began to talk to 
 Kondje-Gul, the sole interpreter of my amours. You 
 may guess how curious I was to learn their thoughts. 
 I questioned her about the events of the 'morning, and 
 what they had been saying to each other. Directly she 
 replied, I learnt that when they first got up there was, as 
 the result of their mutual confidences, a general astonish- 
 ment. But Mohammed explained everything, by telling 
 them that *' such is the custom in the French harems." 
 This explanation was sufficient for them. You may be 
 sure I did not contradict such a flattering assurance. 
 
 " AVell then, you like my country," I said to her; 
 " and they are all content that they have come here ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes ! " she exclaimed, " especially since we 
 saw you ! Mohammed had led us to believe that you 
 were old. We feared we were about to enter upon a 
 dull and formal existence. So you may imagine how 
 delighted we were when you arrived, and he told us our 
 master was you ! At first we could not believe it, but 
 as he had let us appear unveiled, we were constrained to 
 admit that he had not deceived us. And then, when I 
 heard you speak to him — I understood all. Immediately 
 I repeated to them your words, and how that you found 
 us handsome." 
 
 " And so," I replied, " I may believe you really love 
 me ? And do they also ? "
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 57 
 
 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 Kondje- 
 Gul to me, and from me to Kondje-Gul, with an in- 
 describable 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 Mahommed 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 every- 
 thing which we had just been saying. They were all in 
 transports of merriment. 
 
 Louis, I won't proceed any further. I can guess the
 
 58 JIY UNCLE BAKBASSOU. 
 
 stupid reflections wliicli will occur to you on the subject 
 of this very simple situation wliich you, like one left 
 behind, buried deep in the ruts of your absurd prejudices, 
 ta1<e 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 irregu- 
 larity 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. 
 
 Nest, out of consideration for your poor intellect, let 
 me inform you also that under the blessed skies of 
 Turkey the wife has no such presumptuous ambition as 
 that of possessing a husband all to herself. Eeared 
 with a view to the harem, the young girl aims no higher 
 in her ambitious fancy than to become the favourite and 
 outshine her rivals ; but never, never in the world, does 
 she conceive the outlandish notion of becoming the sole 
 object of the affections of lover, master, or husband. The 
 ideal of girls like Zouhra, Nazli, Hadidje, and Kondje- 
 Gul, is the life which I am now giving them; they 
 abandon themselves to it, as to the realisation of their
 
 JIY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 59 
 
 hopes. Their notions respecting the destiny of woman 
 do not go beyond this happiness, which they now possess, 
 of pleasing their master and being loved in this way by 
 him. It is no use, therefore, for you to string together 
 a lot of conventional abstractions with a view to drawing 
 from them any deductions applicable to the laws of the 
 Kingdom of Love. 
 
 The truth is that Hadidje, Nazli, and Zouhra burst 
 into transports of joy when Kondje-Gul repeated to 
 them my promise to be " faithful to all four of them." 
 
 My dear fellow, there is a great deal of the child 
 remaining in these creatures, who seem to have been 
 only created to expand their beauty, as flowers are to 
 exhale their perfume. Cloistered in the life of the 
 harem, their ideas do not reach beyond the horizon of 
 the harem. Their hearts and their minds have only 
 been cultivated by recitals of wonderful legends and of 
 superstitious romances of love ; they know nothing else. 
 
 You may say, if you like, that they are just pretty little 
 animals without souls — but you would be wrong. Again 
 I repeat, most of our so-called refined and civilised ideas 
 about sentiment, virtue, propriety, and modesty, are con- 
 ventional ideas, differing according to place, climate, and 
 habits ; and this you will see clearly by following my 
 story, which I may with good reason call natural history, 
 for when I take the instincts of my little animals by 
 surprise, they display for a moment bold impulses which 
 bear much more resemblance to genuine innocence of 
 mind than do certain affectations of modesty practised 
 by the young ladies of our educated society.
 
 60 MY UNCLE BAKBASSOU. 
 
 The slipper being nearly dry, Kondje-Giil put it on 
 her little arched foot, with its famous light green silk 
 stocking, and we recommenced our course through the 
 park. I will say nothing about a row we took in 
 a boat on the lake, with great willows on its banks. 
 The swans and the Mandarin ducks followed us in 
 procession. 
 
 Mohammed, like a wise man, had foreseen that I should 
 stay at the Kasre. The dinner this time was served in 
 the French style. He did not sit down v/ith us as he 
 had done the day before ; I had no longer need of him, 
 and he returned to the obscure position which he was 
 henceforth to occupy during my visits. I sat down to 
 table, therefore, with my houris ; and this meal, in M'hich 
 everything was new to them, became a veritable feast. 
 They nibbled and tasted a bit of everything with excla- 
 mations of surprise, with careful investigations, and 
 with little gourmaudish airs of inexpressible charm. 
 I should tell you that my cook only won their unanimous 
 approbation at dessert, when they commenced to make 
 a sort of second dinner off sweets and cakes, creams 
 and fruit. The champagne pleased them above all things, 
 and would have ended by turning their little heads, but 
 for my careful attention. Whilst they vied with each 
 other in merriment and gay prattle, I was thinking of that 
 oriental meal of the night before in which I had seated 
 myself by them in the reserved attitude of a stranger. 
 What a dream fulfilled ! What fairy's wand had pro- 
 duced this magical effect ? I tell you it was a regular 
 transformation scene. At dessert Hadidje bent her head
 
 MY UNCLE BAKBASSOU. 61 
 
 down to me with a mischievous look, and laughed as 
 she spoke some Turkish word. 
 
 " Sana yanarim ! " I replied, emphasizing the sen- 
 tence v.-ith. a kiss on her hand. I had learnt from 
 Kondje-Gul that it means " I love you," or more 
 literally, " I am burning for you." 
 
 You may guess how successful this was, and with 
 what shouts of joy it was received. Of course there 
 followed a little make-believe scene of jealousy on the 
 part of the others. 
 
 " Kianet ! ah, Kianet ! " they repeated, laughing, and 
 threatening me with uplifted fingers. This expression 
 signifies "ungrateful." 
 
 "VMien evening arrived I took them into the park to 
 calm the warmth of their emotions down a httle. It 
 was a splendid moonlight night, and the long black 
 shadows of the trees stretched over the walk. As we 
 passed these dark places the timid creatures pressed 
 close about me. 
 
 Ah ! well, you don't expect me, I suppose, to tell you 
 how this day was concluded ? Affairs of the harem, my 
 dear fellow ! — afiairs of the harem ! 
 
 As to my other news, I hardly need tell you that 
 nobody in this neighbourhood has a suspicion of the 
 secrets of El-Nouzha. In my external life I confonn 
 to all the social requirements of my position. I visit 
 my uncle's old friends, Feraudet the notary, and the 
 good old vicar, who calls me the Providence of the place. 
 Once a week I dine with the doctor, Morand ; who has a 
 son, George Morand, an officer in the Spahis, on leave
 
 62 
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 
 
 for the present at Ferouzat ; and an orphan niece, a 
 young lady of nineteen, lively and sympathetic. She is 
 engaged to her cousin the captain, who is a regular 
 Africain, a fire-eater you may call him, but a good 
 fellow in the full sense of that word — one of those open 
 natures made for devotion, like a Newfoundland dog, or 
 a poodle. He is both formidable and patient. Such is 
 my friend ! We were playmates as children, and he 
 would not brook the slightest insult to me in his 
 presence. He wonders very much at my anchorite's 
 life, and in order to divert me from it, endeavours to 
 draw me into the hidden current of rustic gallantries 
 which he indulges in while awaiting the day of Hymen.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 In the detailed account wliich I gave j'ou, 
 my dear Louis, of my honeymoon, I described 
 pretty nearly the history of every day which has passed 
 since I last wrote. ** Happy nations have no history," 
 said a wise man ; happiness requires no description. 
 First then, you must understand that I am now writing 
 after recovery from the natural excitement into which 
 my strange adventures had plunged me. Three months 
 have passed ; I am now enjoying my life like a refined 
 vizir, and no longer like a simple troubadour of Provence, 
 transported of a sudden into the Caliph's harem. I have 
 recovered my analytical composure. 
 
 As you may well imagine I set to work, after the 
 second day, to learn Turkish, an easy task after my
 
 64 
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 studies in Sanscrit. Add to this that, with the aid of love, 
 my houris have learnt French, with all the marvellous 
 facility and linguistic instinct of the Asiatic races. You 
 will not be astonished to learn, then, that I can now 
 share with them all the pleasures of conversation ; a 
 happy result which will permit me henceforth to furnish 
 a more complete description of their different characters. 
 
 Having said this, I will give you in the present 
 letter, with a view of enabling you to understand this 
 narrative more perfectly, the most precise details upon 
 the following subjects : 
 
 First — The organisation, laws, and internal regulations 
 of my harem ; 
 
 Second — Full-length portraits of my odalisques, and 
 a description of their characters ; 
 
 Third — A careful dissertation upon the advantages of 
 polygamy, and its applicability to the moral regeneration 
 of mankind. 
 
 I will first confess, without any presumption, that the 
 ingenious system established for the conduct of my 
 harem is all due to my uncle Barbassou, who, as much 
 as any man in the world, was always particularly careful 
 to maintain what the English term "respectability." 
 In the eyes of the whole neighbourhood, nay, even of 
 my own household, Mohammed- Azis is an exile, a person 
 of high political rank, to whom my uncle had given a 
 hospitable retreat. 
 
 Barbassou-Pacha always addressed him respectfully 
 as " Your Excellency," nor did any servant in the 
 chateau speak in different terms of him. He had had
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 65 
 
 the misfortune to lose one of his danghters — so the 
 story goes — for he seems to have had originally five. 
 Whether his daughters are young or old, no one knows. 
 In the interior of the Kasre all the services are per- 
 formed by Greek women, who do not know a word of 
 French ; they never go out of doors. The gardeners have 
 to leave the gardens at nine o'clock in the morning. All 
 these arrangements, as you will perceive, are extremely 
 correct. The story about Mohammed is a very plausible 
 one ; his solemn and melancholy expression together 
 with his solitary life, are thoroughly in conformity with 
 the fallen grandeur of a minister in disgrace. He is 
 writing, according to report, a memoir in justification 
 of his conduct. He works at it both day and night, 
 and it is w^ell-known that I very often sit up quite late 
 with him, in order to assist him in this task. 
 
 As for me, I do not suppose you imagine that, like 
 the Knight Tannhauser on the Venusberg, I am con- 
 tinually wasting my spirit and my strength over what 
 Heine calls ''the sweets and dainties of love;" or 
 that the philtres of Circe have transformed me into a 
 hog like the companions of Ulysses. — Go gently, my 
 dear fellow ! I am a representative of the learned 
 cohort, please to remember ! I keep a careful diary of 
 my observations, from which I intend to draw up a 
 report for the Academy. Like those bold investigators 
 of pathological science who inoculate themselves with a 
 deadly virus in order to study its effects upon them- 
 selves, I, a serious analytical student, am devoting 
 myself to a course of experiments in pure sensualism,
 
 66 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 to the sole profit of Science. Without restrictions, hut 
 in full consciousness of the high mission which I have 
 undertaken ; without cheating mj^self with too small a 
 dose of the intoxicating draught, I act like an honest 
 Epicurean. I take of the voluptuous delights of my 
 harem as large a dose as an intelligent and refined 
 student of nature ought to require, hut without im- 
 prudently overstraining the springs of sensation. Armed 
 with the dexterity of superior wisdom,. I, floating on 
 this Oriental stream of Love, know how to remain 
 faithful to my charge, hy avoiding the rocks of satiety 
 and the shipwreck of illusions. 
 
 Every day then, ahout three o'clock, after having 
 devoted the morning to my business affairs or to my 
 ** Essays on Psychology," I go to El-Nouzha, and stay 
 there usually until the middle of the night. How- 
 ever, I sometimes go there of a morning, for a bath ; 
 I am teaching my houris to swim. I must tell you 
 that in this matter, indispensable for the comfort of 
 the sultanas, Barbassou-Pasha designed a marvel. In 
 the middle of an island in the lake (which is taken from 
 the delightful garden of See-ma-Kouang, the famous 
 Chinese poet), picture to yourself a great marble basin 
 surrounded by a circular arcade, a sort of atrium open 
 to the sky. Under a colonnade and in its cool shade, a 
 fine Manilla mat covers the flag-stones. The base of 
 the inner walls is enlivened with frescoes, after Pom- 
 peian and Herculanean models. Round the white 
 pillars cling myrtles and climbing roses, reaching up 
 to the terrace ornamented with vases and statues, which
 
 MY UNCLB BAEBASSOU. 67 
 
 stand out in relief against a mass of purple drapery. 
 Here are set capaciaus divans in leather, hammocks, 
 carpets, and cushions to recline upon. Such is the 
 aspect of this enchanting place. On many a hot morn- 
 ing we have breakfasted there, and it is from there that 
 I write to you to-day, dressed in a Persian robe with 
 wide sleeves, while around me sports my harem ; afford- 
 ing me, therefore, an excellent excuse for at once pro- 
 ceeding to sketch the portraits of my almees. 
 
 In all beings the internal character is so closely allied 
 to the external form, that it appears to be only an equation 
 of the latter. Thus certain features of the face announce 
 peculiarities of nature, inclinations, and instincts even 
 to the vulgar; the physiologist, with his more special 
 knowledge, discovers quite a series of concealed revelations 
 in the innermost recesses of that pretty sphinx which 
 constitutes God's masterpiece, and which we call woman. 
 In the same way grace is always the result of the har- 
 mony of lines; from the slightest outline, from the 
 position of a dimple, or the tension of a smile, from a 
 glance, or from the most transient gesture, one can always 
 trace the origin of a feeling, and lay bare the mind. 
 Thus, at this moment, I behold Hadidje leave the 
 water, and saunter quietly in the direction of Nazli 
 and Zouhra, who are reclining on cushions and smoking 
 cigarettes. By the air of indifference that she affects I 
 could wager that she contemplates playing them some 
 trick ! 
 
 And indeed, when close to the smokers, she suddenly 
 shook her hair. The two others jumped up under the 
 
 E 2
 
 68 MY UNCLE BAKBASSOU. 
 
 spraj^ of sparkling water, and ran after her, beating her 
 with their fans and fly-flaps. 
 
 Kondje-Gul, the heedless beauty, who is rocking 
 herself in her hammock beside me, scarcely raises her 
 lazy head to follow them with a glance, at the sound of 
 their cries and laughter. Since her name is at the end 
 of my pen, I will begin my series of portraits with her. 
 
 Kondje-Gul is a Circassian by race. Her name in 
 Turkish signifies a variety of rose which we are not 
 acquainted with in France ; she was brought when quite 
 a child to Constantinople by her mother, attached to 
 the service of a cadine of the Sultan. She is now 
 eighteen. Imagine the Caucasian type in the flower 
 of its beauty, tall, with the figure of a young goddess, 
 an expression of natural indolence which appears to 
 indicate a consciousness of her sovereign beauty, and a 
 fine head crowned with thick chestnut hair falling down 
 to her waist. Her features are clean cut, and of a re- 
 markably pure type. Large brown eyes with heavy 
 eyelids, imparting a languishing expression ; lips some- 
 what sensual, which from her habit of carrying her head 
 erect, she seems always to be holding out for a kiss ; a 
 mixture of Greek beauty with a strange sort of grace 
 peculiar to this Tcherkessian race, which still remains 
 a trifle savage. All these characteristics make up an 
 ensemble both exotic and marvellous, which I could no 
 more describe to you than I could explain the scent of 
 the lily. Of a loving and tender nature, she exhibits 
 the disposition of a child in whom ardent impulses are 
 united with a profound gentleness of sentiment. She
 
 MY UNCLE BAKBASSOU. 69 
 
 is the jealous one of my household — but, hush ! the 
 others know nothing of this. . . . Certainly she is the 
 most remarkable and the most perfect of my little 
 animals. 
 
 Hadidje is a Jewess of Samos, a Jewess of a type 
 singularly rare among the descendants of Israel. She 
 is a blonde of a mingled tint, soft and golden, of which 
 the Veronese blonde will give you no idea. Her beauty is 
 undoubtedly one of those ejBfects of selection and crossing 
 admitted as the foundation of Darwin's system. . . . 
 England has left her trace there ! Picture to yourself 
 one of those ** Keepsake " girls escaped from Bj^on's 
 *' Bride of Abydos " or his " Giaour; " take some such 
 charming creature, fair and fresh- complexioned, white 
 and pink, and plunge her in the atmosphere of the 
 harem, which will orientalise her charms and give her 
 that — whatever it is — which characterises the undulat- 
 ing fascinations of the sultanas. 
 
 My dear friend, an incredible event has happened — 
 an event astounding, unheard of, supernatural ! Don't 
 try to guess ; you will never succeed, never ! It sur- 
 passes the most prodigious and miraculous occurrence 
 ever imagined by human brain. 
 
 Yesterday I had broken off my letter, distracted by 
 Hadidje, at the very moment when I was tracing her 
 portrait for you. The day passed away before I again 
 found leisure to finish it. This morning I was break- 
 fasting at the chateau all alone in my study, where I 
 generally have my meals, in order not to interrupt my
 
 70 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 
 
 work. While I was ruminating over the last number 
 of a scientific magazine, my ear was struck by the noise 
 of a carriage rolling over the gravel walk. As I very 
 seldom receive visits, and my friend George, the spahi, 
 always comes on foot, I thought it must be my notary 
 coming to stir me up about some business matters ; he 
 had been reproaching me the last fortnight for neglect- 
 ing them. The carriage stopped in front of the door- 
 steps. I heard the servants running across the 
 antichamber. Suddenly I heard a cry, followed by con- 
 fused voices, which sounded as though trembling with 
 fright, and finally fresh sounds of steps, rushing head- 
 long, as in a sudden rout. Wondering what this might 
 mean, I listened, when all of a sudden a stentorian voice 
 shouted out these words : — 
 
 *' But what's the matter with those blockheads ? 
 How much longer are they going to leave me here with 
 my bag ? " 
 
 Louis, imagine my amazement and stupefaction ! 
 I thought I recognised the voice of my dead uncle, 
 which in the brazen notes of a trumpet grew louder and 
 louder, adding in a pompous, commanding tone — 
 
 " Francois ! if I catch you, you rascal, you'll soon know 
 what for ! " 
 
 I jump up, run to the window, and see quite dis- 
 tinctly my uncle, Barbassou Pasha himself. 
 
 " Hullo ! you here, my boy ? " says he. 
 
 As for me, I leap over the belcony, and fall into his 
 arms ; he lifts me up from the ground, as if I were a 
 child, and we embrace each other. You may guess my
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 71 
 
 emotion, my surprise, my transports of joy ! The ser- 
 vants watched us from a distance, frightened and not 
 yet daring to approach near. 
 
 " Ah, well ! " repeated my uncle ; " what on earth's 
 the matter with them ? Have I grown any horns ? " 
 
 " I will explain everything," I said ; *' come in, while 
 they take up your luggage." 
 
 "All right!" he replied; "and get some breakfast 
 for me, quick ! I'm as hungry as a wolf.'' 
 
 All this was said with the dignity of a man who never 
 allows himself to be surprised at anything, and in that 
 meridional accent, the ring of which is sufficient to 
 betray the origin of the man. My uncle speaks seven 
 languages ,• at Paris, as you know, he pronounces with 
 the pure accent of a Parisian, but directly he sets foot 
 in Provence, that's all over ; he resumes his brogue, 
 or as they call it down here, the assent. 
 
 He came in, stepping briskly, and holding his head 
 erect ; I followed him. Once in my study, and seeing 
 the table laid, he sat down as naturally as if he had 
 just returned from a walk in the park, poured out two 
 large glasses of wine, which he swallowed one after the 
 other with a gulp of deep satisfaction ; and then made a 
 cut at a pie, which he attacked in a serious manner, 
 rendering it quite impossible to mistake him for a 
 spectre. I let him alone, still contemplating him with 
 amazement. When I considered him ready to answer 
 my questions, I said — 
 
 " Well, uncle, where have you come from ? " 
 
 " Te ! I come from Japan, you know very well," he
 
 72 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 answered, just as if he were referring to the chief town 
 of the department ; " only I have dawdled a bit on the 
 way, which prevented me from writing to you." 
 
 " And during the last five months what has happened 
 to you ? " 
 
 *'Pooh! I made an excursion into Abyssinia, in 
 order to see the Negus, who owed me two hundred 
 thousand francs. He has not paid me, the scamp ! 
 But how odd you do look ! And that great arleri, 
 Francois ! how he stares at me with his full round eyes, 
 as if I were going to swallow him up. Is there any- 
 thing so very fierce about me ? Hullo, you have 
 altered my livery!" he went on; ''they all look like 
 ecclesiastics ; have you taken orders, then ? " 
 
 " Why, uncle, these five months past we have been 
 in mourning for you." 
 
 '* In mourning for me ? You must be joking ! " 
 
 " These five months past we have believed you to be 
 dead, and have received all the documents proving your 
 death ! " 
 
 " Perhaps these documents informed you that I was 
 buried, then ? " he added, without changing countenance. 
 
 " Why, yes, certainly ! " I said. " We have also the 
 certificate of your interment ! " 
 
 At this nciy uncle Barbassou could restrain himself no 
 longer, and was seized with one of those fits of silent 
 laughter which are peculiar to him. 
 
 " In this case — ^you M'ould be my heir ? " he said, in 
 the middle of his transport of gaiety, which hardly 
 permitted him to speak.
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 73 
 
 " I am already, my dear uncle," I replied, " and am 
 in possession of all your property ! " 
 
 This reply put the finishing touch to his hilarity, and 
 he started off again into such a fit of laughter that I 
 was caught by it, and so was Francois. 
 
 But suddenly my uncle stopped, as if some reflection 
 had crossed his mind, and seizing my hand with a 
 sudden impulse he said : 
 
 " Ah ! but now I think of it, my poor boy, you must 
 have experienced a severe blow of grief ! " 
 
 This was said with such frank simplicity, and pro- 
 ceeded so evidently from a heart guiltless of any dis- 
 simulation, that I swear to you I was stirred to the 
 bottom of my soul ; my eyes filled with tears, and I 
 threw myself on to his neck to thank him. 
 
 "Well, well ! " he said, patting me on the shoulder 
 to calm me, while he held me in his arm ; " never mind, 
 old fellow, now that I'm back again ! " 
 
 When breakfast was finished and the table cleared, 
 we remained together alone. 
 
 "Come, uncle, as soon as you have explained to me 
 what has happened to lead to this story of your death, 
 the next thing will be to take early steps for your 
 resuscitation." 
 
 " Take steps ! " he exclaimed, " and for why? " 
 
 " Why, to re-establish your civil status and your rights 
 of citizenship as a live person." 
 
 " Oh, they'll find out soon enough, when they see me, 
 that I don't belong to the other world ! " said he, quite 
 calmly.
 
 74 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 " Now that you are regarded as defunct, you will not 
 be able to do anything, to sign, to contract " 
 
 " So, so ! Never mind all that. Barbassou-Gratien- 
 Claude-Anatole doesn't trouble himself about such 
 trifles." 
 
 *' But your estates ? " I said ; " your property which 
 I have inherited ? " 
 
 " Have you paid the registration fees ? " he asked 
 me, in a serious tone. 
 
 " Certainly I have, uncle." 
 
 ''Well ! Do you want to put me to double expense 
 for the benefit of the government, which will make you 
 pay it all over again at my real death ? " 
 
 " What is it you mean to do, then ? " said I. 
 
 " You shall keep them ! Now's your turn," he added, 
 in a chaffing tone ; "all these forty years I have had the 
 worry of them ; it's your turn now, young man ! You 
 shall manage them, and make them your business ; it 
 will be for you now to pay my expenses and all that ! " 
 
 "I hope you don't dream of such a thing, my dear 
 uncle!" I exclaimed. "Why even, supposing that I 
 continue to manage your property " 
 
 *' Excuse me," he said, " your property ! It is yours, 
 the fees having been duly paid." 
 
 "Well, our property, if you like," I replied, with a 
 laugh; "all the same, I repeat you cannot remain 
 smitten with civil death." 
 
 " Bah ! Bah ! Political notions ! But first explain 
 to me how I come to be dead — that puzzles me." 
 
 I then related to him what I have told you of this
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 75 
 
 sfcrauge story ; the notary's letter informing me of tlie 
 cruel news brought by my uncle's lieutenant Rabassu, 
 confirmed by the most authentic documents, and accom- 
 panied by a portfolio containing all his papers and letters, 
 securities in his name, and agreements signed by him ; 
 proving, in short, an identity which it was impossible to 
 dispute. 
 
 " My papers ! " be exclaimed. *' They were not lost 
 then ? " 
 
 "I have them all," I replied. 
 
 "I begin to understand! It's all the fault of that 
 stupid Lefebure." 
 
 " Who is this Lefebure ? " I asked. 
 
 *' I am going to tell you," replied my uncle ; " the 
 whole thing explains itself and becomes clear. — But 
 I wonder, did not Rabassu with the news of my death 
 bring some camels ? " 
 
 " Not a single camel," uncle. 
 
 " That's odd ! However, sit down, and I will tell 
 you all about it." 
 
 I sat down, and my uncle gave me the following 
 narrative. I write it out for you faithfully, my dear 
 Louis ; but what I cannot render for you, is the inimit- 
 able tone of tranquillity in which he related it, just as 
 if he were describing a fete at a neighbouring village. 
 
 " In returning from Japan," he said, " I must tell you 
 that I put in at Java. Of course I landed there. On 
 the pier-head, I recognised Lefebure, a sea-captain and 
 an old friend of mine ; he had given up navigation in 
 order to marry a mulattress there, who keeps a tobacco-
 
 76 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 shop. I said to him * Hullo, how are you ? ' He 
 embraces me and answers that he is very dull. * Dull ? ' 
 I reply, ' well, come along with me to Toulon for a few 
 days; my ship is in the harbour here, I will give you a 
 berth in her, and send you home next month by " The 
 Belle- Virginie ! " My proposal delights him, but his 
 answer is that it is impossible. ' Impossible ? Why ? ' 
 
 * Because I have a wife who would not hear of it ! ' 
 'We must see about that,' I say to him. Well, we go 
 to their shop; the wife makes a scene, cries and screams, 
 calling him all sorts of names, and they fight over it. 
 At last, while they are taking a moment's rest, I add 
 that I shall weigh anchor at six o'clock in the evening. 
 
 * I will wait for you until five minutes past six,' I say ; 
 and then I go off to my business. At six o'clock I 
 weighed anchor, and began to tack about a bit. At 6*10 
 I was off, when I saw a barque approaching. I gave 
 the order * Stop her.' It was Lefebure, who was 
 making signs to us to stop. He comes up, gets on 
 board, and off we go. 
 
 "Fifteen days after that we put in at Ceylon for a 
 few hours. On the twenty-sixth day, as we arrived in 
 sight of Aden, we observed a good deal of movement 
 in the harbour. There was an English man-of-war 
 displaying an admiral's flag, which they were saluting. 
 On shore I learnt that she was carrying a Commission 
 sent out to make some diplomatic representations to the 
 Negus of Abyssinia. And who should I meet but 
 Captain Picklock, one of my old friends whose acquaint- 
 ance I made at Calcutta, where he was in one of the
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 77 
 
 native regiments. He informed me that lie was in 
 command of the escort accompanying the envoys. I 
 said to Lefebure ' By the by, the Negus owes me some 
 money — shall we go and make a trip there ? ' Lefebure 
 replied, ' By all means let us ! ' I bought four horses 
 and half-a-dozen camels, which I sent on board with 
 my provisions ; and we started with the envoys. We 
 had some amusement on the way. I knew the country 
 very well myself, but when we were half-way, at Adoua, 
 where we halted for half a day, Lefebure picks up with 
 an Arab woman. He wants to stay with her until the 
 next day, and says to me, ' Go on with the captain ; I 
 will join you again to-morrow with the convoy of 
 baggage.' I started off accordingly. Next day, no 
 Lefebure. That annoyed me rather, because he had 
 kept the camels. However, I continued my journey, 
 thinking that I should find him again on my return. 
 Finally I arrived at the Negus's capital, just in time to 
 hear that they were on the point of dethroning him. 
 My intention was to apply to the English commissioners 
 to help me in getting my little business settled. I 
 found, however, that my portfolio and papers were with 
 Lefebure, who had the baggage ; fortunately, I still had 
 the gold which I carry in my belt. Then I naturally 
 availed myself of this opportunity to go off and wander 
 about the interior, us far as Nubia, where I had some 
 acquaintances. I commissioned Captain Picklock to 
 tell Lefebure to come on and join me at Sennaar, with 
 the camels. So off I go, and arrive in ten days' time 
 at Sennaar, where I find the King of Nubia, who was
 
 78 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 not very happy about the political situation ; he treats 
 me very hospitably, and I buy ivory and ostrich feathers 
 of him. 
 
 ** Three weeks go by, but no Lefeburo ! So I natu- 
 rally avail myself of the delay, for pushing on a bit 
 into Darfour ; when, lo and behold ! just like my 
 luck, on the ninth day, as I am entering the outskirts 
 of El-Obeid in Kordofan, I am met by a predatory 
 tribe of Changallas ! They surround me ; I try to 
 defend myself, and a great burly rascal jumps at my 
 throat, and trips mo up. I feel that I am being 
 strangled by him ; I deal him a blow in the stomach 
 with my fist, and he tumbles backwards ; only, as his 
 hand still grips my throat, he drags me down A\-ith him ; 
 the others attack me at the same time, and I am 
 captured ! My blow appears to have been the death of 
 the negro — which did not mend matters for me. They 
 thrust me, bound fast like a bundle of wood, into a sort 
 of shed, after robbing me of all my gold. 
 
 " I was carefully guarded. At the end of eight days 
 I said to myself, * Barbassou, your ship lies in the 
 harbour of Aden ; you have business to attend to, and 
 you won't get out of your present scrape without con- 
 ciliatory negotiations. You must resign yourself to a 
 sacrifice ! ' I send for the chief, and ofl'er him as my 
 ransom a cask containing fifty bottles of rum, ten 
 muzzle-loading guns, and two complete uniforms of an 
 English general. This ofl'er tempts him ; but as I ask 
 him first of all to have me safe conducted to the King 
 of Nubia, he answers that if once I got there I should
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 79 
 
 send him about his business. They confined me in a 
 pit, where I had only rice and bananas to eat, to 
 which I am not at all partial. As to the women, they 
 are monkeys. However, after four months of negotia- 
 tions we came to an agreement that I should be conveyed 
 back to Sennaar, where I engaged upon my word of 
 honour to give guarantees. 
 
 I set off, still bound fast, with ten men to guard 
 me. After a fortnight we arrive in the town. I enquire 
 for Lefebure. — No Lefebure. I then go to the king's 
 palace — but he had just started off on a vreek's hunting 
 expedition. However, I find the sheik who was in 
 command of the town, and relate my difficulty to him. 
 He informs me that the treasury is closed. I tell my 
 guards that they can return, and that I will have my 
 ransom sent from Aden, but that does not content 
 them ; one of them seizes hold of me by the arm, but 
 I gave him a good hiding. Finally the sheik furnishes 
 me with an escort, and I return to Gondar. The 
 English had gone back, and I started on my voyage 
 across to Aden. When I reached Adoua, where I had 
 left my friend Lefebure, I asked for him. Again no 
 Lefebare ! However, I had the luck to find his 
 Arabian sweetheart, whom I questioned about him. 
 Her reply is, that the very day I left him, the stupid 
 fellow went and caught a sun- stroke, of which he died 
 the same day. I inquire after my baggage and my 
 camels. — ^No baggage, no camels ! They had all been 
 forwarded to the Governor of Aden. 
 
 " When I arrived at Aden, the Governor told me that
 
 80 
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 ercrythinjij which had been received had been sent on 
 board my ship, including the papers found on my 
 friend, and that a certificate of death had been duly 
 drawn up, which my lieutenant was instructed to convey 
 to the family. I asked no more questions, and wrote at 
 once a little note of condolence to Lefebure's wife. I 
 sent the agreed ransom to my Chaugallas, and at the 
 same time a letter of complaint to the King of Nubia. 
 Altogether, it was four months since my ship had left 
 Aden. The following day I took the mail boat to Suez 
 — arrived last night at Marseilles — and here I am ! " 
 
 " Yes, indeed," I said to my uncle, when he had 
 concluded ; " that explains it all. They drew up tho 
 certificate of decease according to the papers found on 
 your friend Lefebure, and as they were yours " 
 
 " WTiy, they mistook him for me ; and that ass 
 Rabassu went off with the ship to bring the notary the 
 news of my death." 
 
 *' That's clear," I added. 
 
 " But what puzzles me most," rcpHed he, " is to know 
 what has become of my camels ! " 
 
 As you may well imagine, my dear Louis, this unex- 
 pected resurrection of my uncle plunged me into a state 
 of excitement, which took entire possession of me. I 
 could not see enough of him, or hear enough of him ; 
 and all that day I so completely forgot cvei-ything which 
 did not concern him, that I did not even think of moving 
 outside the chateau. I followed him from room to room, 
 and kept looking at him, for I felt the need of convincing
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 81 
 
 myself that lie was really alive. As to him, quickly 
 recovering from the very transitory astonishment into 
 which the news of his supposed death had thrown him, 
 he had resumed that splendid composure, which you 
 remember in him. He superintended all his little 
 arrangements, and unpacked all his boxes, full of all sorts 
 of articles from Nubia, whistling all the while fragments 
 of bamhoulas which were still ringing in his ears. 
 
 After dinner in the evening, he said to me, stretching 
 out his long legs over the divan, with the air of a man 
 who loves his ease : 
 
 " By Jove, it's very snug here ! If you like, we will 
 stay down here several weeks." 
 
 "As many weeks as you like, uncle," I answered — 
 "months even ! " 
 
 " Well done ! — But," he continued, " won't you be 
 rather dull ? — for, unless you have some little distrac- 
 tion " 
 
 "Ah!" I exclaimed, remembering all at once my 
 harem ; "I forgot to tell you about this little afiair ! " 
 
 "What affair?" he said. "Have you found your 
 distraction already, then?" 
 
 " I should just think I have, uncle ! " 
 
 " Is she pretty ? " 
 
 " Why, I have four ! " 
 
 At this information my uncle did not raise his eye- 
 brows any more than if I had told him that I was 
 occupying my leisure by practising the rustic flute ; he 
 only stretched out his arm, took my hand and shook it 
 smartly in the English fashion, saying.
 
 82 MY UNCLE PARBASPOU. 
 
 "My compliments, my dear fellow!— I beg your 
 pardon for my indiscretion." 
 
 " But, my dear uncle, I Lave quite a long story to 
 tell you ! " I added, not without a certain embarrass- 
 ment " — and it is your death again that has been the 
 cause of it ! " 
 
 " How was that ? Tell me all about it." 
 
 " You know, your Turkish pavilion — Kasre-el-Nouz- 
 ha?" 
 
 " I know, well ? " 
 
 ** Well, four months ago, Mohammed- Azis arrived 
 there." 
 
 " Hullo ! " he said, " Mohammed ? " 
 
 "Yes, and you had entrusted him with a — a com- 
 mission," I continued. 
 
 " True," he exclaimed, " I had forgotten that ! " 
 
 " Well, then, uncle " 
 
 " He had accomplished his commission, I suppose," 
 continued he. 
 
 " Yes," I replied. " And as you were dead, and 
 Mohammed's commission formed part of my inherit- 
 ance from you, I thought that it was my duty — " 
 
 " Bigrc .' " said my uncle, " you know how to act the 
 heir very well, you do ! " 
 
 "Why indeed — " I continued, "remember that I 
 could not suppose " 
 
 "In short you've done it," said he, "and it's all 
 over, BO don't let us say anything more about it ! And 
 once more, forgive me. — Now that I know all about it, 
 nothing more need be said. Turks never discuss harem
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 83 
 
 matters. Only," he added, *' in order to avoid the neces- 
 sity of returning to the subject, let me now recom- 
 mend you to keep Mohammed ; you understand ? He 
 knows the run of the ropes. And in order to make 
 everything safe, as it would not do for me to be seen 
 about there any more, tell him to come and see me." 
 " Do you wish me to send for him at once ? " 
 " No, no, to-morrow will do. We have plenty of 
 time. — Come, give me a little music, will you? Play 
 me something from Verdi — " 
 
 And he began to hum in his bass voice, slightly out 
 of tune, snatches from the air : 
 
 " Parigi o cara, noi lasceremmo." 
 
 We passed a charming evening together, what with 
 conversation, music, and cards. He won three francs 
 of me at piquet, with a ridiculous display of triumph. 
 About twelve o'clock I took him to his bedroom. 
 When he was ready to get into bed, he exclaimed : 
 
 *' Te! I have some securities here which I had 
 forgotten ! " And taking a penknife, he proceeded to 
 cut the stitches of his coat lining, from which he drew 
 out some papers, 
 
 ** See ! " he said, as he held them out to me, ** here 
 are seven hundred thousand francs' worth of bills on 
 London and Paris. You shall get them cashed." 
 
 " Very well, uncle," I replied. " And what do you 
 want me to do with the money ? " 
 
 " Oh, upon my word, that's your affair, my pichoun ! 
 You may be sure, now that you have come into your 
 
 F 2
 
 84 MY I'NCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 inheritance, I am not going to be troubled with such 
 matters ! " 
 
 ** Well, at least advise me about them." 
 
 " But, my good fellow, that means that I am still to 
 have all the bother about them — . After all," he 
 continued, " keep the money if you like — it will do for 
 my pocket money." 
 
 Thereupon he went to bed, I wished him good night, 
 and was about to leave the room, when, he called me 
 back. 
 
 " Come here, Andre ! Write, if you please, to the 
 notary and ask him to come here to-morrow." 
 
 "Ah!" I replied, "you're coming round to that at 
 last!" 
 
 ** I am coming round to nothing whatever ! " he 
 exclaimed, in a most decided tone. " Only I want to 
 know what has become of my camels ! As you may 
 guess, I intended to present them to the Zoological 
 Society. I must have them found ! Good night ! " 
 
 I should certainly annoy you, my dear Louis, if I 
 were to endeavour to impress upon you the full signifi- 
 cance of the amazing events through which I have 
 passed during these four months. I don't luiow of a 
 single mortal who has experienced more original adven- 
 tures. The dreadful letter from the notary, my in- 
 stallation at Ferouzat, my uncle's will, the harem 
 tumblmg down upon me from Turkey, the entering into 
 complete possession of my fortune, and the whole 
 crowned by the return of the deceased. Certainly you 
 
 I
 
 IHY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 85 
 
 will agree with me that these are incidents which one 
 does not meet with in everyday life. Nevertheless, if 
 you want to know my ideas about them, I confess that 
 they seem to me at the present moment to he nothing 
 but the Necessary and the Contingent of philosophers, 
 in their simplest application. I would go so far as to 
 assert that, to a nephew of my uncle, things could not 
 fail so to happen, for it would show a want of training 
 in the most elementary principles of logic, to exhibit 
 surprise at such little adventures, when once Barbassou- 
 Pasha has been introduced on the scene as Prime Cause. 
 The substratum of my uncle so powerfully influences 
 my destiny, that to my mind it vrould seem quite para- 
 doxical to expect the same things ever to happen to me 
 as to any other man. Cease being astonished, there- 
 fore, at any strange peculiarities in my life, even if they 
 be eccentric enough to shock a rigidly constituted mind. 
 Like those erratic planets which deviate occasionally 
 from their course, I move around the remarkable star 
 called Barbassou-Pasha, and he draws me into his own 
 eccentric orbit. In spite of a semblance of romantic 
 complications among the really simple facts which I 
 have related to you, I defy you to discover in 
 them the slightest grain of inconsistency. They 
 can be perfectly well accounted for by the most 
 natural causes and the most ordinary calculations of 
 common sense. Cease your asLonishment, therefore, 
 unless you wish to fall into the lowest rank in my 
 estimation. 
 
 Having postulated the fact that I am the nephew of
 
 86 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 my uncle, I will now return to the summarisiug of 
 my situation. "Well, my late uncle bad como to life 
 again, but be wanted to keep all tbe advantages of bis 
 status as a dead man, by obliging me to remain in 
 possession of bis property. I bad just said " good 
 nigbt " to bim, wbile be was dreaming about bis camels. 
 Notbing could be less complicated tban tbat. If all 
 tbat is not in strict conformity with tbe character of 
 Barbassou (Claude Anatole), I know notbing about bim. 
 Nevertheless, it was only natural that the day celebrated 
 by bis return should give birth to some other incidents 
 of importance. 
 
 I bad just left my uncle, and was walking towards tbe 
 library to write at once to the notary, when Francis 
 informed me that a woman from the Kasrc had been 
 waiting an hour to see me. One of the Greek servants 
 came sometimes to tbe chateau, either with messages 
 or to await my orders. I concluded at once tbat, not 
 having seen me either during the day or in the evening, 
 my little animals bad grown anxious and were sending 
 to inquire after me. I went to my room, where Francis 
 said tbe woman was. As I entered I saw her standing 
 up, motionless, near the window, wrapped in her great 
 black fcridjie ; but I bad hardly shut the door behind 
 me when, all at once, I beard a cry and sobs. Tbe 
 feridjie fell down, and I recognised Kondje-Gul, who 
 threw herself on to my neck and seized me in her arms 
 with signs of tbe deepest despair. 
 
 ** Good gracious ! " I said, " is that you? You come 
 here ? "
 
 MY UNCLE BAKBASSOU. 87 
 
 Breathless and suffocated with tears, she could not 
 answer me. I guessed, rather than heard, these words : 
 
 " I have run away ! I have come to die with you ! " 
 
 " But you are mad, dear, quite mad ! " I exclaimed. 
 " Why should you die ? What has happened then ? " 
 
 " Oh, we know all ! " she continued. " Barbassou- 
 Pasha has returned. He is a terrible man. He is 
 going to kill you ; us also ; Mohammed also ! " 
 
 And raving with fear she clung to me with all her 
 strength, just as if she were already threatened with death. 
 
 " But, my dear child," I said, " this is all madness — 
 who in the world has told you such nonsense ? " 
 
 " Mohammed. He heard of the Pasha's return — he 
 has hidden himself." 
 
 "But my uncle is a very land man — he adores me, 
 and does not even intend to see you. Nothing will be 
 changed for us by his return." 
 
 Seeing me so calm, she was gradually reassured. 
 Still she was too much possessed by her Turkish 
 notions to believe all at once in such a departure from 
 correct oriental usages. 
 
 *' Well then," she said as she dried her tears, " he 
 will only kill Mohammed ? " 
 
 " Not even Mohammed ! " I exclaimed, with a smile. 
 ** Mohammed is a poor coward, and I will give him a 
 bit of my mind to-morrow, so that he shan't worry you 
 with any more nonsense of this kind." 
 
 " You don't mean it ? " she replied. " Then he will 
 only get a beating ? " 
 
 I was about to protest, when I perceived by her first
 
 88 MY UNCLE BAHBASSOU. 
 
 worils that she suspected I wanted to play upon her 
 credulity. There was thus a danger of rcnving her 
 worst fears, for she would not believe any more of my 
 assurances. I contented myself therefore with promis- 
 ing to intercede with Barbassou-Pasha. Once convinced 
 that Mohammed's punishment would extend no further 
 than his hind-quarters, she troubled herself no more 
 about it, but with the characteristic volatility of these 
 little wild creatures, began to chatter and examine all 
 the things in my room, touching and feeUng everything 
 with an insatiable curiosity. 
 
 " Come now, you must go home," I said to her, not 
 wishing this little excursion of hers to be discovered. 
 
 " Oh, no ! Oh, no ! " she cried, with childlike delight. 
 " It's your home — do let me look at it ! " 
 
 " Oh, but you must go and comfort Zouhra, Nazli, 
 and Iladidje ! " 
 
 " They are asleep," she said. " 1 want to stay a 
 little time here alone with you ! Besides," she added, 
 with a little frightened look still lingering on her face, 
 " suppose Barbassou-Pasha has been deceiving you, 
 suppose he is coming to kill you to-night ? " 
 
 " But once more I tell you, dear, you are mad ! " 
 
 ** Well then, why send me back so soon ? " 
 
 " Because it is not proper for you to leave the 
 harem," I answered. " Come along, off you go ! " 
 
 " Oh, just a little longer ! — I beg you, dear ! " 
 she said, with a kiss. 
 
 How could I resist her, my dear Louis ? Tell me ? 
 
 I sat down, watching her moving about and rummag-
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 89 
 
 ing everywhere. I must tell you that under her feridjie 
 (which she had let doAvn on my entrance into the room), 
 she was dressed in a sort of loose gown of pale blue 
 cashmere, embroidered with lively designs in silk and 
 gold. Her snow-white arms emerged from wide, hang- 
 ing sleeves. This costume produced a charming pic- 
 turesque effect in the midst of my room, which, although 
 comfortable, was very prosaic in its style — although to 
 her it seemed wonderful. She touched everything, for 
 she could not be satisfied with seeing only, and her 
 questions never ceased. ... At last, after half-an-hour, 
 considering her curiosity to be satisfied, as she was 
 beginning to ransack the books lying on my table, I 
 said once more, 
 
 *' Come, Kondje-Gul, you must go." 
 
 With these words, I picked up her feridjie, and took 
 her back to the harem. A pale light was shining 
 through the windows of the drawing-room. Hadidje, 
 Nazli, and Zouhra were still there. To describe the 
 terror which came over their faces directly I appeared, 
 would be impossible. Hearing steps in the night, they 
 made sure their last moments had arrived. At the 
 sound of the door opening, they cried out loud — the 
 three poor miserable things took refuge in a corner. 
 
 When they saw me enter with Kondje-Gul, they were 
 thrown into a great consternation. With a few words I 
 reassured them at once. 
 
 As to Mohammed, it was impossible to find him. I 
 will confess, moreover, that I felt very little interest in 
 searching for him — I was far from ill-pleased with the
 
 90 
 
 MY UNCLE BAHBASSOU. 
 
 tbougbt that be was paying for tbe trouble wbicb bis 
 stupidity bad caused my poor darlings, by a nigbt of 
 fear and trembling. 
 
 My Inmb baving returned to tbe fold, I eventually 
 retraced my steps to tbe cluitcau. 
 
 Is it necessary to tell you tbat tbe sui-prising events 
 of tbe day bad caused me emotions wbicb I was scarcely 
 able to understand ? 
 
 My uncle's resurrection — 
 
 Lefebure — 
 
 Tbe Cbangallas — 
 
 Tbe camels — 
 
 They all kept my brain at work the whole nigbt long. 
 
 \x
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 I APOLOGISE, my dear Louis, for liaving left you a 
 mouth without a letter from me, as you reproach me 
 somewhat severely. You are not afraid, I should hope, 
 that my friendship for you has cooled. The real cause 
 of my silence is that I have had nothing to tell you. 
 The even tenor of my existence permits only of daily 
 repetitions of the same very simple events. My affec- 
 tions being divided between my harem and my uncle 
 Barbassou, I revel in the tranquillity of the fields and 
 woods, which afford to my mind that quiet freedom 
 which is always more or less disturbed by the excited 
 atmosphere of city life. 
 
 Do not imagine, however, that we have been living 
 like monastics, disdaining all worldly distractions : the
 
 92 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 ffovoruor is not tho man to lead the existence of a Car- 
 thusian monk. Ho is as much on horseback as on foot. 
 In the daytime we make hunting excursions ; ho visits 
 his " god-chikh-eu " and my estates : you may rely upon 
 it, I have got an active steward in hiinf In tho evening 
 we receive our friends at the chateau — the vicar, tho 
 Morands, father and son, and, twice a week, the notary. 
 We play whist at penny points, and very lively games 
 of piquet — only the latter not so often, as my uncle 
 cheats at it. About eleven o'clock the carriages are got 
 ready to take these people home. I then accompany 
 my uncle to his room, and we talk over business matters, 
 and about my fiancee ; for, of course, my marriage with 
 his " god-daughter " is an understood thing, and we 
 have not even a notion of discussing the question. 
 Finally, when ho gets sleepy, he goes to bed, and I go 
 off to El-Nouzha. 
 
 Besides these occupations we have another very 
 serious one, namely, rummaging among the mass of 
 curios which lie heaped up together in the lumber-room 
 of the chateau. 
 
 ** Ah, Andre ! " my uncle said to me one day, with 
 the reproachful accent of a faithful steward, " you havo 
 a lot of fine things up there which you are very foolish 
 to leave in that lumber-hole. If I were you, I would 
 have them all out ! " 
 
 " Let us get them all out then at once, uncle," I 
 answered. 
 
 Thereupon we set to work sorting them out, and you 
 have no idea of the things we found — valuable paintings,
 
 MY UNCLE BABBASSOU. 93 
 
 works of art, rare old furniture, and arms of all coun- 
 tries. You will see what a museum they constitute, if 
 you make an excursion down here, as you have promised. 
 Really, for an artist of your genius, this alone would be 
 worth the journey. 
 
 We also pay visits at the two neighbouring chateaux 
 of the Montaubecs and the Camboulious ; but confine 
 ourselves strictly to the customary conventionalities 
 between neighbours, the female element which we 
 encounter at these places belonging, as my uncle puts 
 it, to the very lowest zoological order of beings. 
 
 Once a week we dine at Doctor Morand's. He is a 
 man of great ability, who has only missed making his 
 mark through want of a wider field. He is the one 
 mortal capable of exercising an influence over Captain 
 Barbassou, if the character of the latter did not place 
 him out of reach of all external control. In this home 
 family life reigns in its happiest and most charming 
 simplicity, represented by a goodly quiver-full of chil- 
 dren. I have already told you about young Morand, the 
 spahi, and his cousin Genevieve. 
 
 Genevieve, with her nineteen summers, is the eldest, 
 by several years, of a prolific brood, the offspring of her 
 mother's second marriage. The doctor, who is a rich 
 man for his district, took them all to live with him after 
 his sister's death. A more delightful and refreshing 
 place cannot be found than this heaven-blest home, the 
 very atmosphere of which breathes the odour of peaceful 
 happiness and honest purity. You should see Genevieve, 
 la grande, surrounded by her four petits, her brothers
 
 94 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 and sisters, with their chubby faces, all neat and clean, 
 obedient and cheeky at the same time, and kept in order 
 by her with a youthful discipline, flavoured now and 
 then with a spice of playfulness. Is she really pretty ? 
 I confess I cannot decide. The question of beauty in 
 her case is so completely put out of mind by a certain 
 charm of manner, that one forgets to analyse it. She 
 has certainly fine eyes, for they hold you spell-bound by 
 the soul shining through them. George Morand, her 
 fiance, adores her, and, headstrong Africain though he 
 is, even he feels an influence within her which subju- 
 gates his fiery spirit. They could not be a better match 
 for each other, and will live happily together. She 
 will chasten the exuberant ardour of the Provencal 
 warrior. 
 
 My uncle professes to detest " the brats ; " it is need- 
 less, perhaps, to add that, directly he arrives, the whole 
 of them rush to him, climb on his knees, and stay there 
 for the rest of his visit. He is their horse ; he makes 
 boats for them, and all the rest of it. The other day 
 you might have seen him grumbling as ho sewed a 
 button on Toto's drawers (which he had torn ofi" by 
 turning him head over heels), fearing lest Genevieve 
 should scold him. 
 
 I am very cordially welcomed by the whole ; house, 
 and you may imagine what interminable discussions the 
 doctor and I carry on. Having been formerly a pro- 
 fessor in the School of Medicine at Montpellier, he was 
 led by his researches in physiology to a very pronounced 
 materialism. Now that he has read my spirituahstic
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 95 
 
 articles, lie tries hard to break down my arguments. 
 On the third side, my uncle, as a Mahometan, wants to 
 convert him to deism ; you may judge from this how 
 much harmony there is between us ; you might take 
 us for an Academy ! 
 
 At El-Nouzha the same life goes on still ; but I must 
 take this opportunity of correcting a dangerous mistake 
 you appear to have fallen into, to judge from the tone 
 of your letters. In everything that concerns my harem, 
 you really speak as if you had in mind the fantastic 
 and tantalising experiences of a second blessed Saint 
 Anthony, exposed to the continual provocations of the 
 most voluptuous beauties of the Court of Satan. Indeed, 
 one might say (between you and me and the post), that 
 your Holiness was less scared than inquisitive regard- 
 ing these terrible scorchings. You old sinner ! The 
 real truth is that everything becomes a habit after a 
 while, and that, now the first efiervescence of passion 
 is over, this life grows much more simple than you 
 imagine. You must not beheve that we lead a riotous 
 existence of continual lusts and orgies. Such notions, 
 my dear fellow, are only the fruit of ignorance and of 
 prejudice. 
 
 Let me tell you that my harem is to me at the present 
 time a most tranquil home, and that, but for the fact 
 that I have four wives, everything about it has per- 
 manently assumed the every-day aspect of a simple 
 household. Our evenings are spent in conversation 
 round the drawing-room table with music and dancing, 
 conducted in a thoroughly amiable and cheerful spirit.
 
 96 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 and all set ofif by the accomplishments of my sultanas. 
 I combine in my conjugal relations the dignified oriental 
 bearing of a vizir with the tender sentimentalities of a 
 Galaor, and in this I have really attained to an exquisite 
 perfection. 
 
 In fact, it would be the Country of Love in the Para- 
 dise of Mahomet, but for a few clouds which, since my 
 nncle's return, have obscured the bright rays of my 
 honeymoon. I have had some trouble with Hadidje 
 and Nazli, who seem determined to make a trip over to 
 the chateau as Koudje-Gul had done ; for, as might 
 have been foreseen, as soon as her alarms had subsided, 
 this silly creature, with the view no doubt of exciting 
 their jealousy, and posing as the favourite, had taken 
 care to relate to them all the wonders of this, to 
 them, forbidden place. Of course I refused at once to 
 permit such an irregularity, contrary as it was to all 
 harem traditions. This refusal was the signal for a 
 scene of tears and jealous passions, which I subdued, 
 but which only gave way to the tender reproaches of 
 slighted affections. Well, I try to jog along as well as 
 I can, as all husbands have to do, but I have a vague 
 presentiment of troubles still in the air. 
 
 I have reopened my letter. 
 
 I hope you won't be astonished, my dear fellow, but — 
 I have another piece of news relating to Barbassou- 
 Pasha. 
 
 The day before yesterday, while my uncle and I were 
 chatting together, as is our custom, before he went to
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 97 
 
 bed, I observed that he yawned in an unusual manner. 
 I had remarked this symptom before, and I drew my 
 own conclusion from it, which was that overtaken once 
 more by his adventurous instincts, he was beginning to 
 find life tedious in the department of Le Gard, — he 
 was longmg for something or other, that was certain ! 
 And I began ransacking my mind to find some new food 
 upon which he might exercise his all-devouring energy, 
 when he said to me, just before I left him — 
 
 *' By the bye, Andre, I have written to yom- aunt that 
 I am returned. She will probably arrive some time 
 between now and the end of the week." 
 
 "Ah!" I replied; "well, uncle, that's capital! I 
 shall be delighted to have our family life back again." 
 
 " Yes, the house will seem really furnished then," he 
 continued. " Well, good night, my boy 1 " 
 " Good night, uncle." 
 Then I left him. 
 
 Now, although this legitimate conjugal desire of my 
 uncle's was quite rational on his part, you may never- 
 theless imagine that I went to bed rather puzzled. 
 Which of my aunts should I see arrive ? My uncle 
 had acquainted me with this design in such an artless 
 manner that it never occurred to me to venture any 
 question on the subject. I began therefore to form 
 conjectures based upon his present frame of mind, as to 
 which of his wives he had probably selected. 
 
 I commenced by setting aside my aunt Cora, of the 
 Isle of Bourbon. It was not very likely that the Pasha 
 wanted to add to his past ontological researches upon the
 
 98 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 coloured races. Excluding also my auut Christina do 
 Postero, whoso adventure with Jean Bonaffe had brought 
 her into disgrace, there remained only my aunt Lia Bon 
 Levy, my aunt Gretchen Van Cloth, and my aunt 
 Eudoxio do Cornalis, so that the question was now 
 considerably narrowed. Still I must confess that it was 
 not much use my setting all my powers of induction to 
 work, taking as my premises the captain's ago, his 
 present tastes, his plans, Sec. All I succeeded in doing 
 was to lose myself in a maze of aflfirmations and contra- 
 dictions from which I could find no way out. The best 
 thing to be done was to wait. So I waited. 
 
 I had not long to wait for that matter. Two days 
 after, while I was in my room, I saw a carriage drive 
 up. Its only occupant was a lady, who seemed to mo 
 to be very handsome and very elegantly dressed. On 
 the box, by the coachman's side, sat a lady's maid ; 
 behind were two men-servants of superior style in 
 their travelling livery. The carriage stopped. At the 
 sound of the wheels on the gravel, my uncle's window 
 opened. 
 
 "Hoi! is that you?" he shouted. "How arc you, 
 my dear ! " 
 
 ** How are you, captain ! " replied the lady. " You 
 see you have not been forgotten, you ungrateful 
 wretch ! " 
 
 ** Thanks for that. Nor am I any more forgetful on 
 my side." 
 
 •' That's all right," replied the lady ; " but why don't
 
 IVIY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 99 
 
 you come down and give me a hand ? You're very 
 gallant ! " 
 
 " Well, my dear, I'm coming as fast as I can ! " said 
 my uncle. 
 
 I must confess I still remained somewhat puzzled at 
 the sight of this fair traveller, whose appearance did 
 not recall to me any of my aunts. Could Barbassou- 
 Pasha have contracted another marriage since the date 
 of his will ? Out of delicacy I kept out of the way, in 
 order not to disturb their affectionate greetings, but as 
 my uncle passed my door on his way out, he said to 
 me, 
 
 " Andre, aren't you coming ? " I followed him. 
 We arrived just as the lady was stepping briskly up the 
 door-steps. 
 
 *' Too late, captain ! " she said, ''I could not stay 
 there, penned up in that carriage." 
 
 This reproach did not prevent them from shaking 
 hands very heartily. Then as I came up, my uncle 
 said in his quick way, 
 
 " Kiss your aunt Eudoxia ! " 
 
 At this injunction I forthwith embraced my aunt, 
 and I must admit that as I kissed her I could not 
 repress a smile, recollecting this sacramental phrase of 
 my uncle's. 
 
 "My goodness! is that Andre?" she exclaimed, 
 "Oh! excuse me, sir," she continued rapidly; "this 
 familiar name slipped from my tongue, at remembrance 
 of the bonny boy of old times." 
 
 " Pray take it for granted, madam ! " I answered.
 
 100 MY UNCLE BAHDASSOU. 
 
 " Then don't call me madam ! " 
 
 "What docs tliat matter, iny aunt; to obey you I 
 shall be delighted to return to old times." 
 
 " Very well then, my nephew,'' she added ; " see that 
 my servants are looked after, and then let us come in ! " 
 
 All this was said in that free-and-easy tone which 
 denotes aristocratic breeding, and with so much of the 
 assurance of a woman accustomed to the best society, 
 that I was for a moment almost taken aback by it. 
 My early impressions of her had only left in my mind 
 confused recollections of an amiable and fascinating 
 young woman (so far as I could judge at that age), and 
 now my aunt suddenly appeared in a character which I 
 had not at all anticipated. Assuredly I should never 
 have recognised her, although time had not at all 
 impaired the beauty of her face. 
 
 I will therefore draw her portrait afresh. Picture to 
 yourself a woman of about thirty-five, although her real 
 age is forty-two. Her figure exhibits a decided cmhon- 
 poijit, but this detracts not in the least from its grace- 
 fulness, for she is a tall woman, and has also quite a 
 patrician style about her. Her erect head, and the pro- 
 found dignity of her expression — everything about her in 
 fact — might be taken to denote a haughty nature, were 
 it not for that extreme simplicity of manner which 
 appears natural to her. Notwithstanding the firmness 
 of her language, the tone in which it is uttered is as 
 soft as velvet, and her light, musical accent suggests 
 the frank and easy bearing of a Russian lady of high 
 rank.
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 101 
 
 Such is the description of my aunt. 
 
 My uncle had offered her his arm. As soon as we 
 entered the drawing-room, she said, while taking off 
 her hat : 
 
 '* Ah, now you must at once explain to me this story 
 of your death, which I received from a notary. For six 
 months I have been fancying myself a widow ! " 
 
 "You can see that there's nothing in it," replied 
 my uncle. 
 
 " That's nice ! " she exclaimed, laughing and holding 
 her hand out to him a second time. " Another of your 
 eccentricities, I suppose ! " 
 
 ''Not in the least, my dear; Andre here can tell 
 you that I positively passed for a dead man, and 
 that he went into mourning for me. He has even 
 entered into the possession of my property as my 
 heir." 
 
 " It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good," she 
 answered; "but how was it that they put you in the 
 grave by mistake ? I am curious to know." 
 
 "' I was in Abyssinia." 
 
 ** Close by, is it ? " asked she, interrupting him. 
 
 "Yes," continued my uncle. "A friend who was 
 travelling with me, stayed behind at a place on our way, 
 while I went forward, and he managed to die in such a 
 stupid and ill-timed manner that, as my baggage was 
 with him, it was from my papers that his certificate of 
 death was made out. It was only on my return here, 
 five months later, that I learnt that I had been taken 
 for dead. You see what a simple story it is."
 
 102 MY UNCLE BAIIBASSOU. 
 
 "Well, of course," sftiil my auut, "such things are 
 quite a common occurrence ! That will teach you the 
 result of not taking me "ndth you on your travels. Was 
 it also on account of this trip in Abyssinia that I have 
 not seen you for two years? Oh stop, my dear 
 nephew ! " she added in an engaging tone, " a family 
 
 scene is an instructive event; it forms . Go on, 
 
 captain, answer me." 
 
 " Two years? " repHed my uncle. "Is it really two 
 years ? " 
 
 " Consult your log-books, if they have not been 
 buried w'ith your friend." 
 
 " Ah ! forgive me, dear Eudoxia, I have had during 
 all this time most important business." 
 
 " Yes," continued my aunt, " we all know what 
 important business you have; I've heard some fine 
 accounts of you. Do you know what Lord Clifdcn told 
 me at St. Petersburg three months ago, while com- 
 plimenting me upon my widow's mourning, which, by 
 the way, suited me extremely well ? lie told me that 
 during your lifetime you had been a bigamist." 
 
 "What a likely story!" exclaimed my uncle, 
 boldly. 
 
 " He assured mo that he had seen you at Madras 
 with a Spanish woman, you old traitor ! She was young 
 and pretty, and passed openly by the name of Senora 
 Barbassou. It was surely not worth while making me 
 elope with you, in order that you might treat me in this 
 fashion ! " 
 
 " Lord Clifden told you a stoi^, my dear, and a very
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 103 
 
 silly story too. I hope you did not believe a word 
 of it?" 
 
 ** Upon my word, you are such an eccentric character, 
 you know ! " she answered, with a laugh. 
 
 "And what have you been doing yourself?" con- 
 tinued my uncle, whose coolness had not deserted him 
 for an instant ; " where have you been ? " 
 
 ** Oh, if I were to reckon back to the day you left me, 
 I should lose myself! " replied my aunt. "A year ago, 
 at this season, I was on my estate in the Crimea, where 
 I vegetated for five months ; then I spent the winter at 
 St. Petersburg, and the spring at my chateau in Corfu, 
 where I had the advantage of a comfortable place in 
 which to mourn over you. Finally I had been two 
 months at Vienna, when I received from my steward 
 eight days ago the letter in which you did me the 
 honour of informing me both of your resurrection and 
 of your desire to see me. I quickly made my farewell 
 calls, started off, and here I am ! Now," she added, 
 holding out a plaid to him, " if you will kindly allow 
 me to change these travelling clothes, you will make 
 my happiness complete." 
 
 " I am waiting to take you to your room," replied my 
 uncle. 
 
 " Nephew," she said to me with a curtsey, ''prepare 
 to minister to my caprices; I have plenty of them 
 when I love. — In return let me say to you. Take it for 
 granted." 
 
 They left the room, and I felt quite astonished at the 
 way they greeted each other. You can already under- 
 
 G 2
 
 104 MT UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 stand the effect which my aunt must have produced on 
 me, and I was no less surprised at the new traits which 
 I discovered in my uncle's character. A complete rcTO- 
 lution had been effected. He became all at once very 
 natty in his dress. His rough straggling beard was 
 trimmed in the Henri IVth style, and his moustaches 
 were twirled up at the cuds. He left off swearing ; his 
 language and his manners at once assumed the most 
 correct tone, without constraint or embarrassment, and 
 with a modulation so natural, that it seemed really to 
 indicate a very long familiarity with fashionable practice. 
 He had not made a single slip. His frank gallantry 
 had nothing artificial about it ; he was another man, 
 and it was quite evident this was the only man that 
 Eudoxie de Cornalis had ever known him to be. 
 
 " Well ! what do you think of your aunt ? " he asked 
 me as he came in after five minutes' absence. 
 
 " She is charming, uncle, and as gracious as 
 possible ! " 
 
 "Did you expect to find her a monkey, then?" he 
 exclaimed. 
 
 " Certainly not! " I replied. "But my aunt might 
 have been beauty itself, and still have lacked the character 
 and the intellectual qualities which I observe in her." 
 
 " Oh, you can't at all judge of her yet ! " continued 
 he, in a careless tone. *' You'll see what I mean later 
 on. She's a real woman ! " 
 
 My aunt did not come down again until luncheon- 
 time. Her appearance created quite an atmosphere of 
 cheerful society in the dining-room, usually occupied
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 105 
 
 only by my imcle and his nepliew. My uncle was no 
 doubt conscious of the same impression, for leaning 
 towards me, he said to me in his inimitably cool manner, 
 and in a low voice, 
 
 *' Don't you see how everything brightens up 
 already?" 
 
 My aunt sat down, and as she took off her gloves, 
 cast her eyes over the table, the sideboards, the servants 
 in waiting, and the general arrangements of the dining- 
 room. 
 
 *' Francois," she said to my uncle's old man-servant, 
 " please send the gardener to me at four o'clock." 
 
 " Yes, Madame la Comtesse." 
 
 "And then send the steward, whom I do not see 
 here." 
 
 *' Oh, I am the steward ! " replied my uncle. 
 
 " That's capital ! My compliments to you," she 
 continued; "I might have known it." 
 
 " All the same, I fancy I perform my duties very well : 
 is not this new furniture to your taste ? " 
 
 " Not only so, but I find it very handsome, and I 
 appreciate your antiquarian passion for rare and choice 
 objects ; only there is a want of life about it. What 
 are those great vases, may I ask, whose enormous 
 mouths stand empty to receive the dust ? " 
 
 "Those Mandarins!" said my uncle; "they come 
 from the palace of the Emperor of China." 
 
 " Oh, the men, the men ! " exclaimed my aunt with 
 a laugh : "if they were in Paradise they would forget 
 to contemplate the E ternal ! Now, captain, my lord and
 
 lUli MV UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 spouse, pray tell me of what use to you are beds full of 
 flowers, if you never rejoice your eyes with the sight of 
 them ? " 
 
 The luncheon went off charmingly and merrily. As 
 she chatted with us, my aunt signalled to Francis and 
 gave him her instructions for those innumerable com- 
 forts which a woman only can think of. My uncle, as 
 if by enchantment, found everything ready to hand; 
 before he had time to ask for anything to drink, he 
 found his glass filled. "We had not been accustomed to 
 this kind of sei'vice. When we left the table my aunt 
 said, 
 
 ** Let us take a turn in the grounds." 
 
 She took my arm and we started off. I won't trouble 
 you with a description of this walk, in the course of 
 which my aunt and I succeeded in improving our 
 acquaintance. We soon grew to understand each other 
 thoroughly. With supreme tact, and without apparent 
 design on her part, she had led me on by discreet 
 questions to give her, before a quarter of an hour had 
 passed, a complete catalogue from A. to Z. of all my 
 studies, my tastes, and my pursuits, including of course 
 my youthful escapades, which made her smile more than 
 once. 
 
 In this outpouring I excepted, as you may be sure, the 
 revelations of my career as a pasha. My uncle walked 
 close to us, but left us to talk together. One might 
 have thought that he was resuming his marital duties, 
 interrupted only the evening before, without their 
 course having been disturbed by any appreciable inci-
 
 MY UNOLE BARBASSOU. 107 
 
 dent. All at once, we arrived at the foot-path which 
 leads to the Turkish house. 
 
 " Ah ! let us go into Kasre-El-Nouzha ! " said my 
 aunt. 
 
 At this I glanced at my uncle with an air of distress ; 
 he, without -ndncing in the least, said : 
 
 " The communicating door is walled up. Kasre- 
 El-Nouzha is let." 
 
 " Let ! " she exclaimed ; ** To whom ? " 
 
 " To an important personage, Mohammed-Azis, a 
 friend of mine from Constantinople. You do not know 
 him." 
 
 "You ungrateful wretch!" she continued with a 
 laugh : " that's the way you observe my memory, 
 is it ? " 
 
 She did not press the subject. You may guess what 
 a relief that was to me. 
 
 After we had strolled about the grounds for an hour, 
 my aunt Eudoxia had made a complete conquest of me. 
 But although everything about her excited my curiosity, 
 I had put very few questions to her, not wishing from 
 motives of delicacy to appear entirely ignorant of her 
 history ; such ignorance, indeed, would have appeared 
 strange in a nephew. She seemed quite disposed, how- 
 ever, to answer all my questions without any fencing, 
 and to treat me as an intimate friend. What I felt 
 most surprised at was the attitude of my uncle, who 
 had never said any more to me about her than about 
 my aunt Cora of Les Grands Palmiers. There reigned 
 betwixt them the affectionate manners of the happiest
 
 108 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 possible couple ; they discussed the past, and I could 
 see that their union had never been weakened or 
 aflfected, notwithstanding my uncle's Mahometan pro- 
 ceedings, which she really appears never to have sus- 
 pected. I discovered that she had accompanied him 
 on board his ship, during several of his voyages, and 
 that two years back he had stayed six months with 
 her at Corfu. As for him, he talked in such a com- 
 pletely innocent manner, betokening such a pure con- 
 science, that I came to the conclusion he was probably 
 on just as good a footing with all his other spouses, and 
 that he would not have been the least bit more embar- 
 rassed with my aunt Van Cloth, had she chanced to 
 turn up. 
 
 When we returned to the chateau, my aunt asked me 
 to have some letters posted for her. I went to her 
 room to take them from her ; she had found time to 
 write half-a-dozen for all parts of the world. While 
 she was sealing them, I had a look at the numerous 
 articles with which she had filled and garnished her 
 boudoir. There were on the table flowers in vases, 
 books and albums ; on the mantelpiece, several portraits 
 arranged on little gilt easels, among which was a 
 sj)lcndid miniature of a young, handsome man, in 
 Turkish costume embroidered with gold, and having 
 on his head a foz ornamented with an egret of precious 
 stones. 
 
 *' Do you recognise this gentleman," said my aunt, as 
 I was stooping to look at it more closely. 
 
 " What ! " I exclaimed; " Can that bo my uncle ? "
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 109 
 
 " The very man, dressed up as a great mamamoucbi. 
 It is a great curiosity, for you are aware of liis Turkish 
 notions on the subject. According to these, one ought 
 not to have one's image made." 
 
 "Upon my word, that's quite true," I said; "it is 
 the first portrait I have seen of him." 
 
 *' I have every reason for beHeving that it is the only 
 one," she replied with a smile ; *' this was the most 
 difficult victory I ever won over him." 
 
 "We then began to discuss my uncle and his eccentri- 
 cities, combined with his remarkable talents. She 
 related to me some events and features in his life 
 which would not be out of place in the legend of a 
 hero of antiquity; amongst other matters she told 
 me the story of their marriage, which runs briefly as 
 follows : — 
 
 My aunt, a daughter of one of the richest and 
 noblest Greek families, lived with her father at a castle 
 in Thessaly, a country which is partly Mahometan. 
 During the feast of Bairam, the Turks commenced a 
 massacre of Christians, which lasted three days. 
 Several families, taking refuge in a church, had fortified 
 themselves there, and with their servants were de- 
 fending themselves desperately against their assailants. 
 The assassins had already broken open the door of the 
 sanctuary, and were about to cut all their throats, when 
 suddenly a man came galloping up, followed by a few 
 soldiers. He struck right and left with his scimitar 
 in the thick of the crowd outside, and reached the 
 doorway, causing his horse to rear up on the pavement.
 
 110 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 He slays some, and terrifies all. The Christians are 
 saved ! 
 
 This cavalier with his scimitar was my uncle, who 
 was then in command of the province. The unhappy 
 wretches who had escaped assassination pressed about 
 him, and surrounded him ; the girls and the women 
 threw themselves at his feet. My aunt was one of these 
 unfortunates ; she was then fifteen years old, and as 
 beautiful as noonday. You may guess how her imagin- 
 ation was wrought on by the sight of this noble saviour. 
 My uncle on his side was thunderstruck by the con- 
 templation of so much beauty. Having to judge and 
 punish the rebels, he established his head-quarters in 
 the castle of the Cornalis. He sentenced twenty persona 
 to death, and demanded Eudoxia's hand in marriage. 
 This, notwithstanding his gratitude, the father refused 
 to grant to a Turkish general. 
 
 The lovers were desperate, and separated, exchanging 
 vows of eternal fidelity. Finally, after three months of 
 correspondence and clandestine meetings, an elopement 
 ensued, followed up quickly by marriage. It was as 
 the sequence of this event that my uncle, induced by 
 love, and moreover disgraced again for having exercised 
 too much justice in favour of the Christians, finally 
 quitted the service of the Sultan. His pardon by the 
 Cornalis followed, and it was at this time that he 
 obtained from the Pope the title of Count of the Holy 
 Empire. 
 
 All this will servo to explain to you how it is that 
 my aunt, as an heiress of great wealth, possesses in
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. Ill 
 
 her own right a very large independent fortune in the 
 Crimea. 
 
 We have now been living together for a fortnight, and 
 during this time Ferouzat has been completely trans- 
 formed. My aunt Eudoxia is certainly very meuUante, 
 as my uncle calls it, and she has brought into the house 
 quite an attractive element of brightness. She has 
 naturally introduced into our circle a certain amount of 
 etiquette, which does not, however, encroach upon the 
 liberties of country life, or disturb that easy-going 
 elegance which forms one of the charms of existence 
 among well-bred people. The Countess of Monteclaro, 
 as might well have been foreseen, having already been 
 intimately acquainted with Doctor Morand, begins to 
 take a most friendly interest in Mademoiselle Genevieve. 
 As a consequence, Genevieve and the children spend 
 almost all their time at the chateau. In the evenings 
 we have gatherings to which all the young people of the 
 neighbourhood are invited ; my aunt, who is an excellent 
 musician, organises concerts, and we generally finish up 
 with a dance. 
 
 These worldly recreations afford me a clearer insight 
 into the analytical details of my oriental life, which is 
 now more than ever enveloped in the profoundest 
 mystery. I have invented a story of important botanical 
 studies upon the flora of Provence, in order to justify 
 certain daily excursions which naturally terminate in 
 El-Nouzha. It is well-known, moreover, that I some- 
 times visit His Excellency Mohammed- Azis, but with
 
 112 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 the discretion which respect for a great misfortune natu- 
 rally entails. The exiled minister is no longer even dis- 
 cussed among us; everybody knows that "he shuts 
 himself up like a bear in his den," and there is an end 
 of it. 
 
 My aunt is the perfection of a woman. Nothing can 
 be more dehghtful than our conversations. Her manner 
 partakes both of the indulgence of a mother and of the 
 unrestrained intimacy of a friend. She still remembers 
 the child she used to dance upon her knees ; and, 
 although I had for a long while forgotten her very 
 existence, my present affection for her is none the less 
 sincere because it is of such recent growth. I must 
 confess that, after my confined existence at school and 
 college, I am deUghted with these pleasures of home 
 life, to which I was until lately quite a stranger. 
 
 My aunt, as you may guess, is acquainted with my 
 uncle's famous plan for the future, and knows Anna 
 Campbell, the Pasha's god-daiir/htcr. You should hear 
 her chaff him anent this god-fathership, on the strength 
 of which she claims that the captain has returned to 
 the bosom of the Church without knowing it. She tells 
 me that Anna is a charming girl. Thus petted and 
 entertained, I live in other respects very much as I like, 
 and sometimes pass the whole day in the Ubrary. I 
 should add that my aunt, who is as sharp as a weasel, 
 makes her ovm comments upon my frequent absences 
 from the chateau. 
 
 "Andre," she asked me the other day with a smile, 
 *' is your * Botany ' dark or fair ? "
 
 MY UNCLE BAPvBASSOU. 113 
 
 " Fair, my dear aunt," I answered, laughing as she 
 did. 
 
 In the midst of all this the Pasha, still emulating one 
 of the Olympian gods, proceeds on his course with that 
 tranquillity of spirit which never forsakes him. Two 
 days ago, who should come down upon us hut Eahassu, 
 his lieutenant, the Eahassu whom my uncle has always 
 called his " murderer." He has brought home ^' La 
 Belle Virginie" from Zanzibar with a cargo of cinnamon; 
 for, as you are aware, we (or rather /) still trade in 
 spices. Being now the head of the firm, I have to sell 
 off the last consignments. Eahassu heard of the resur- 
 rection of Barhassou-Pasha directly he arrived at Toulon. 
 He hurried off to us quite crestfallen, and when he met 
 the captain literally trembled at the thought of the 
 hurricane he would nov/ have to face. But everything 
 passed off very satisfactorily. My uncle interrupted his 
 first mutterings of apology with a gentle growl, and 
 contented himself with chaffing him for his infantine 
 credulity. 
 
 However, this incident has revived the vexed question 
 of the camels. "Where are they?" asks the captain. 
 Having promised to send them to the Zoological Gar- 
 dens at Marseilles, he feels his honour is at stake ; 
 they must be found. I support him in this view ; my 
 inherited property is of course incomplete without 
 them. Urgent letters on the subject have just been 
 despatched to his friend Picklock, and to the officer in 
 command at Aden. If necessary, a claim will be lodged
 
 Ill 
 
 MY UNCLE DARBASSOU. 
 
 against England ; she is undoubtedly responsible for 
 them. 
 
 In my next letter I will tell you all the news relating 
 to El-Nouzha from the time when I last interrupted 
 this interesting part of my narrative. My liouris are 
 making progi'ess, and their education is improving. We 
 are going on swimmingly.
 
 y^j^m. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 The Turks are calumniated, my friend, there's no 
 doubt about it. It is not enough for us to say and to 
 believe, with the vulgar herd, that these turbaned people 
 are wallowing in materialism and are not civilised ; we 
 must do more than this, and convict them of their 
 errors. We, fortified with a singular infatuation in our 
 ideas, our habits, and our personal associations, venture 
 to settle by our sovereign decrees the loftiest questions 
 of sentiment. The rules to be observed by the perfect 
 lover in the courtship and treatment of his lady-love, 
 have been settled at tournaments, by the Courts of 
 Love of Isaure, and by the College of the Gay Science. 
 Our pretensions to troubadourism have never been 
 abandoned. The affectations of " L'Astree " have been
 
 1115 MY UNCLE LAIUJABSOU. 
 
 erected iuto a code of Love, and we have succeeded in 
 establishing the French cavalier as the paragon of excel- 
 lence in love matters, and the perfect type of gallantry. 
 The saying " to die for one's lady-love " rises so natu- 
 rally to our lips that the most insignificant cornet 
 might warble it to his Ctlimeue without causing her to 
 smile. 
 
 You will nevertheless admit, I hope, that we ought 
 to discard a few of these absurd expressions. That we 
 know how to make love is not much to boast about, after 
 all. The only important point for us as philosophers 
 is to know whether our ideal is really the higher ideal 
 — whether our treatment of woman is really more worthy 
 both of her and of ourselves than the pagan treatment 
 which prevails among the Eastern nations ? Here at 
 once crops up the elementary dispute between the 
 votaries of polygamy and monogamy. Both these in- 
 stitutions are based upon divine and human laws, both 
 are written down and defined in moral codes, and in 
 sacred books. One takes its origin in the Bible, and 
 remains faithful to its traditions ; the other has de- 
 veloped at some period, from the simple conventions 
 of a new social order. We must not conclude that we 
 alone possess the knowledge of absolute truth, merely 
 because our conceit postulates for us the superiority of 
 our time-honoured civilisation. All wisdom proceeds 
 from God alone, and truth is for us only relative to 
 place, time, and habit. Was not Jacob, when he mar- 
 ried at the same time Leah and Rachel, the daughters 
 of Laban, nearer than we are now to the primitive
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 117 
 
 sentiment of the laws of nature and of revelation ? 
 Do you presume to blame him, insignificant being that 
 you are, because yielding to the supplication of his 
 beloved Eachel he espoused — somewhat superfluously it 
 may be — her handmaid Bala, with the simple object of 
 having a son by her ? In presence of this idyl of the 
 patriarchal age, what becomes of all our theories, our 
 ideas, and our prejudices, the fruits after all of a hollow 
 and worthless education ? 
 
 You will not, I trust, do me the wrong of believing 
 that I, wavering in my faith, intend forthwith to 
 abandon the principles in which I was brought up. 
 But a subject so serious as the one I have been devoting 
 myself to, demands the most frank and honest examina- 
 tion. I will not deliver a judgment; I will merely 
 state the facts. Now it is an established fact that the 
 people who permit by their laws a plurality of wives 
 are, even at the present time, far more numerous than 
 the monogamists. Statistics prove that out of the 
 thousand million inhabitants of this globe, Christianity 
 with all its sects, and Judaism thrown in, does not number 
 more than two hundred and sixty millions according 
 to Balbi, or two hundred and forty millions according 
 to the London Bible Society. 
 
 Since the remainder, consisting of Mahometans, 
 Buddhists, Fire-worshippers, and Idolaters, all practise 
 polygamy more or less, it follows that on this globe of 
 ours, the monogamists constitute one-fourth only of 
 the whole population. Such is the naked, unadorned 
 truth !
 
 118 ^nr UNCLE b^uibassou. 
 
 Are wo wrong ? Are tbcy right ? It is not my 
 business to decide this point. Philosophers and theolo- 
 gians far more patient than I am, have given it up as 
 a had job. Voltaire, with his subtle genius, settled 
 the question in his own characteristic fashion, by sup- 
 posing that an imaginary God had from the beginning 
 decreed an inequality in this matter, regulated by geo- 
 graphical situation, in these words : — 
 
 " I shall draw a line from Mount Caucasus to .Egypt, 
 and from Egypt to Mount Atlas ; all men dwelling to 
 the east of this lino shall be permitted to marry several 
 wives, while those to the west of it shall have one 
 only." 
 
 And, as a matter of fact, it is so. 
 
 But having disposed of this important point, there 
 remains a loftier question for us to elucidate — one con- 
 sisting entirely of sentiment. The treatment of woman 
 being our only objective, our present business is to 
 decide on which side of the line its character is the 
 most respectful, the most worthy and the most flatter- 
 ing towards her. Certainly our doctrine is purer, our 
 law more divine. Nevertheless, as sincere judges, we 
 ought, perhaps, to examine and see whether we do not 
 transgress against our absolute principles. And I must 
 confess that I cannot now approach this delicate ques- 
 tion without some misgiving. In the judgment of every 
 tribunal, the case of polygamy is a hopelessly bad one. 
 That I am ready to admit ; but might it not be urged 
 against the other side that in practice the court knows 
 very well that the law is not observed ? What judge can
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 119 
 
 be found, ho'^'eYer austere, who lias never offended against 
 it ? To sum the matter up briefly (whispering low our 
 confessions, if you like), what man is there among us — 
 I am not talking of Don Juans, who catalogue their 
 amours, nor of Lovelaces, but of ordinary men of say 
 thirty years old — who can remember how many mis- 
 tresses he has had ? "What, is this the monogamy we 
 have been making such a flourish about ? 
 
 Perhaps you will say that we need not see in these 
 irregularities anything more than a sort of licensed 
 depravity, tolerated for the sake of maintaining a 
 virtuous ideal. But consider the fatal consequences of 
 this hypocrisy. What becomes of our aspirations of 
 the age of twenty, of our dreams and poetic fancies, 
 after we have plunged into these wretched connections, 
 these degrading, promiscuous attachments which form 
 the current of our present habits, and from which we 
 emerge at the age of thirty, sceptics, and with hearts and 
 souls tarnished ? What do we reap from these frenzies 
 of unhealthy passion, but contempt for woman, and 
 disbelief in anything virtuous ? 
 
 For the Turk there is no such thing as illegitimate 
 love, and woman is the object of absolute respect. 
 Never having more than one master, she cannot fall 
 in his esteem. Having been bought as a slave, she 
 becomes a wife directly she sets foot in the harem ; 
 her rights are sacred, and she cannot any more be 
 abandoned. The laws protect her; she has a recog- 
 nised position, a title ; her children are legitimate, and 
 if by chance
 
 120 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 I suspend this philosophical digression, in order to 
 inform you of a momentous occurrence. El-Nouzha 
 has just been the scene of a sanguinary drama. A 
 rebellion has broken out among my sultanas. 
 
 My harem is on strike. 
 
 You will ask me bow this storm came to break upon 
 me just as I was settling down into the most innocent 
 and tranquil frame of mind ? It can only be explained 
 by a retrospective survey of certain domestic circum- 
 Btances, which the changes that have been going on at 
 Ferouzat had caused me to overlook. 
 
 You will not have forgotten the terrible commotion 
 caused in my harem by the news of my uncle's resur- 
 rection. My poor houris, dreading some fatal drama of 
 the usual Turkish character, had indeed passed through 
 a cruel time of distress and anguish. When their alarms 
 were dissipated, a revival of animation soon mani- 
 fested itself in their spirits ; but, as ill-luck would have 
 it, and as I have told you, one little detail of this 
 day's proceedings, unimportant as it appeared at the 
 time, was destined to disturb their harmony, so perfect 
 hitherto, and to arouse their jealousies. Kondje-Gul 
 had been to the chateau, and a silly ambition to 
 attempt the same freak had got into the heads of Nazli 
 and Zouhra. I at once expressed a decided opposition 
 to this childish scheme ; but, of course, from the 
 moment it met with opposition, it developed into a 
 fixed purpose. 
 
 Within the limited circle of ideas in which they
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 121 
 
 move, their imaginations had been excited — curiosity, 
 the attractions of forbidden fruit. The long and the 
 short of it was that, at the sight of their genuine 
 disappointment — a disappointment aggravated by con- 
 tinual and jealous suspicions of a preference on my part 
 for Kondje-Gul — I had almost made up my mind to 
 yield for one occasion, when my aunt arrived, which at 
 once put an end to any thought of such good-natured 
 but weak concessions. 
 
 I imagined myself to be armed now with an over- 
 whelming reason for refusing their request, but it 
 turned out quite otherwise. When they heard that my 
 uncle's wife was at the chateau, they asked to be allowed 
 to make her acquaintance. They said that they were 
 really bound as cadines, according to Turkish custom, to 
 pay their respects to my uncle's wife, " whom her position 
 as legitimate spouse places hierarchically above us." 
 I got over this difficulty by telling them that my aunt, 
 being a Christian, was forbidden by her creed to have 
 any intercourse with Mussulmans. 
 
 What especially distinguishes the Turkish woman, 
 my dear Louis, from the woman whose character has 
 been fashioned by our own remarkable civilisation, is 
 the instinctive, inborn respect which she always pre- 
 serves and observes towards man. Man is the master 
 and the lord, she is his servant, and she would never 
 dream of setting herself up as his equal. The Koran 
 on this point has hardly at all modified the biblical 
 traditions. Unfortunately for me, I must confess that 
 in my household I have disregarded the law of Islam.
 
 122 MY UNCLE BARBAS80U. 
 
 Inspired by a bij^ber ideal, you will understand, \N'itbout 
 my mentioning it, tbat my first object bas been to 
 abolisb slavery from my barem, by inculcating into tbe 
 minds of my houris principles more in conformity with 
 the Christianity which I profess. I wished, like a 
 modern Prometheus, to kindle the divine spark in these 
 young and beautiful barbarians, whose minds are still 
 wrapped up in their oriental superstitions. I wished to 
 elevate their souls, to cultivate their minds, and in short, to 
 make them my free companions and no longer my helots. 
 I may assert with pride that I have been partially 
 successful in my task. Three months of this treatment 
 had hardly elapsed before all traces of servile subordi- 
 nation had disappeared. With this faculty for meta- 
 morphosis existing in them, which all women possess, 
 but which is for ever denied to us men, and thanks 
 above all to the revelations of our customs and habits 
 contained in novels of my selection, which Kondje-Gul 
 read to them during my hours of absence, and to 
 which they listened with admiration (for they wore 
 eager to know all about this world of ours, which was 
 as yet unknown to them), I soon obtained a charming 
 combination. Their strange exotic mixture of oriental 
 graces, blending happily with efforts to imitate the 
 refinements of our civilisation, their artless tokens of 
 ignorance, their coquettish and feline instincts, their 
 voluptuous bearmg in process of attempted transforma- 
 tion into bashful reserve, all these phenomena afforded 
 me the most delightful subject for study ever entered 
 on by a philosopher.
 
 IVIY UNCLE BAKBASSOU. 123 
 
 Nevertheless, I must admit that the education of 
 their intellects did not keep pace with the cultivation 
 of their ideas, but rendered them still liable to commit 
 a number of solecisms. I had an interest, moreover, 
 in keeping them in a certain degree of ignorance of the 
 actual laws of our oami world. Imbued with their 
 native ideas, their credulity accepted without hesitation, 
 everything which I chose to tell them about " the 
 customs of the harems of France," and they conformed 
 to them without making any pretence to further know- 
 ledge of them. None the less, there began to grow 
 up in their minds ideas of independence and self- 
 will, the natural consequences of the elevation effected 
 in their sentiments. The notion of a truer and 
 more tender love was used by them henceforth as 
 a weapon against my absolute authority. Only too 
 happy to be treated as a lover rather than a master, 
 I did not feel any loss in this respect : love is 
 kept alive by these numberless little stratagems of a 
 woman, Avho loves and desires — yet desires not — and 
 so forth. And then, you must remember, I had four 
 wives. 
 
 They on their part, having no aims, no ambitions, 
 but to please me, the sole object of their common love, 
 each tried to effect my conquest in order to obtain the 
 advantage over her rivals — an emulation of which I 
 experienced all the charms. NotTvdthstanding the fact 
 that I distributed my affections with a rare impartiality, 
 I could not always prevent the occurrence of jealous 
 quarrels among them. Afterwards ensued regrets 
 
 H 2
 
 121 MY UNCLE BARBASBOr. 
 
 tonder reproaches, and clouds of sadness meltinp: into 
 tears. Peace was restored nmid foolish outbursts of 
 mirth. But you cannot realise what a task it has been 
 for me to preserve the harmony of a well-regulated 
 household among creatures with their impulsive 
 imaginations, which have ripened under the heat of 
 their native oriental sun. They have mixed up their 
 superstitions with those higher principles of which I 
 have endeavoured to inculcate a notion into their minds, 
 and which they often interpret in quite a different sense. 
 All this has been the occasion for the display of 
 charming eccentricities. My little animals have grown 
 into women, and along with the development of a more 
 intelligent love, I have seen manifestations of a 
 coquettish mutinous spirit, upon the slightest evidence 
 of partiality on my part, which they have thought to 
 detect in me. 
 
 I must tell you that Kondje-Gul, who is really a very 
 intelligent girl, had begun to study with great ardour, 
 and it naturally followed that she benefited more from 
 her lessons than the others, who treated them rather as 
 an amusement. In three months she learnt French 
 tolerably well — she it was who translated the novels to 
 them. Hence arose a superiority on her side, which 
 must in any case have produced a good deal of envy 
 among the others. On the top of this came her famous 
 excursion to the chateau, concerning which the silly 
 creature gave them marvellous accounts, in order to 
 pose as favourite. I should add that Kondje-Gul, being 
 of an extremely jealous nature, often gave way to violent
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 125 
 
 fits of passion. Hadidje, for some reason or other, 
 more especially excited her suspicions. Hadidje has an 
 excitable temperament. Between them, consequently, 
 a considerable coolness arose : this, however, created 
 nothing worse than a few clouds on my fine sky. For 
 the passive domesticities of the harem, I had substi- 
 tuted love ; for its obedience, the free expansions and 
 impulses of the heart. 
 
 I must add, however, that while rising to purer con- 
 ceptions of truth, my houris retained too much of 
 their native instincts not to get then* heads turned 
 somewhat by the novelty of theu' situation. Having 
 equal rights, they claimed the same rank in my 
 esteem. From this it resulted that Hadidje, Nazh, 
 and Zouhra at last took umbrage at the success of 
 Kondje-Gul, who was wrong in trying to outstrip them. 
 " Kondje-Gul," they proclaimed, " wishes to act the 
 savante. Kondje-Gul gives herself the airs of a legiti- 
 mate Sultana." I must confess that the said little 
 coquette was only too careful to impress them mth her 
 successes, of which she was rather proud. One evening 
 she sat down to the piano, and, with a careless air, 
 played part of a waltz, which she had learnt on the sly 
 in order to surprise me. You may guess what the 
 effect was. This triumph put the finishing touch to 
 their provocation, and the evening was spent in sulky 
 murmurs. 
 
 Finally, one day when I arrived at the harem I found 
 Kondje-Gul shut up in her own room, bathed in tears. 
 The storm which had been impending so long had burst
 
 126 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 over her proud head — Hadidje, Zouhra, aud Nazli had 
 beaten her. 
 
 Once more I appeased their discords, by recourse to a 
 new declaration of principles. The reconciliation was 
 celebrated by a general display of cordiality ; but a 
 faction had been formed within the ranks. At the very 
 time that I least expected it, Nazli, Hadidje, and 
 Zouhra returned to their idea of a secret visit to the 
 chateau. This project, which so far had only been 
 carried on by detached skirmishes, was still cherished 
 by them, aud mus now pursued by a compact body of 
 troops, combining their siege-manoeuvres with a rare 
 concentration of boldness and courage. Their weapons 
 were tender caresses aud those innumerable cajoleries of 
 women, which nearly always compel us to surrender in 
 desperation to their most unreasonable whims. My 
 oriental menage was still walking on a flowery path, 
 but a snare was hidden under the dead leaves. ... A 
 few weeks later, when I was completely entangled in the 
 subtle meshes of their cunning, the whole line changed 
 their tactics. They said no more about Ferouzat, but I 
 soon saw exhibitions on every side of frivolous caprices, 
 sudden tits of sulkiness, unexpected refusals, and so forth. 
 
 My odalisques had become civilised. 
 
 I was too good a tactician to allow myself to be out- 
 flanked by this artful little game, the concerted object 
 of which I pretended not to perceive. Whenever they 
 fancied they had obtained a success over me, I im- 
 mediately transferred my attentions to Kondje-Gul, 
 and the attacking party disbanded, surrendering uncon- 
 
 i
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 127 
 
 ditionally. Unfortunately Kondje-Gul, relying upon 
 my weakness for lier, tried to carry off a decisive yictory 
 by a sudden charge. The other evening, having accom- 
 panied me up to the secret door, she rushed through it 
 with a laugh, and made off for the chateau, right 
 through the grounds of Ferouzat. I ran after her and 
 soon caught her, encumbered as she was by her oriental 
 slippers and her long train. I took her back to the 
 harem, where the others seemed to be awaiting, in a 
 great state of excitement, the result of this most 
 audacious attempt. Then I learnt that " she had 
 boasted she would obtain this fresh triumph over them." 
 This was a flagrant offence. After such an act of 
 rebellion it was necessary to make an example : I spoke 
 severely, and there was a tremendous scene. Kondje- 
 Gul had too much pride to humiliate herself before her 
 rivals, who were rejoicing over her defeat. Distracted 
 with vexation and carried away by her foolish impulses, 
 she made the breach between us complete. For three 
 days she remained haughty and arrogant, accepting her 
 disgrace, but too proud to make any advances for a recon- 
 ciliation. Needless to say, Nazli, Hadidje, and Zouhra 
 were more affectionate and attentive to me than ever. 
 
 Such was the condition of affairs when the critical 
 incident took place which I undertook to describe to you. 
 
 The other evening, I was in the harem, and Nazli 
 and Zouhra were playing Turkish airs on the zither, 
 while Hadidje, seated at my feet, with her head resting 
 upon her hands, which were crossed on my knees, was 
 singing in a low murmur the words of each tune.
 
 128 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 KonJje-Gul stayed near the verandah, looking cool and 
 dignified, and smoking a cigarette in the deOaut, and at 
 the same time resigned attitude of a hardened rebel ; 
 but the furtive glances which she cast at Hudidje gave 
 the lie to her affected calnmess. For two evenings past 
 we had not exchanged a word with each other. She 
 had dressed herself that day with remarkable care, as if 
 to impress me with the s]ilendours of the paradise I had 
 lost : her glorious hair streamed down in long tresses, 
 somewhat disorderly, from under her pearl-embroidered 
 cap. Notwithstanding a great gauze veil with which 
 she pretended to enshroud herself in order to conceal 
 her charms from my profane eyes, her bodice was so 
 slightly fastened that it dropped down just low enough 
 to expose to view the charming little pits under her arms 
 and the snowy -whiteness of her breasts. Like a wrathful 
 Venus, the expression on her face was both mutinous 
 and resolute. She had put kohl under her eyes (a thing 
 which I forbid), and had blackened and lengthened her 
 eyebrows so that they met together, in Turkish fashion. 
 In this get-up the little sinner looked ravishing ! 
 
 Now you can picture to yourself the scene, and guess 
 my state of mind. The weird tones of the zither, with 
 their penetrating and singularly melancholy vibrations, 
 the strange yet graceful costumes, the scent of those 
 flowers with which the daughters of the East always 
 adorn themselves, the all-pervading voluptuous atmos- 
 phere the enchantment of which I cannot explain to 
 you ; finally, the fuir rebel gloomy and jealous, in the 
 corner of the picture ! All this, without my being any
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 129 
 
 longer surprised by it, kept me in a sort of happy con- 
 tentment, like that of a well satisfied vizir, which 
 defies all analysis, but which you will understand. 
 
 All at once the music ceased. 
 
 " Andre," said Hadidje to me, ** won't you come 
 into the garden for a little while ? " 
 
 " Come along ! " I replied, and rose up to go. 
 
 She took my arm. Zouhra and Nazli followed us. 
 As I went out by the verandah, I passed close to 
 Kondje-Gul ; she -drew back -uith a superb air of 
 dignity, as if she feared lest her dress should be ruffled 
 by me. Then darting a look of withering scorn at 
 Hadidje, she wrapped herself up in her veil and leant 
 against the balustrade, watching us go off. It was a 
 delicious autumn evening, the air was soft and the 
 sky clear and starry. Under our feet the dry leaves 
 crackled. Hadidje wanted to have a row in the boat, 
 so we went towards the lake. As we rowed along we 
 caught glimpses of Kondje-Gul from time to time, 
 through the openings between the trees ; her motionless 
 figure stood out like a solitary shadow in front of the 
 illuminated window of the drawing-room. 
 
 " That's capital ! " said Hadidje, who was rowing with 
 Nazli ; " How dismal she looks ! But then why does she 
 try to get privileges over us ? Let us stay here." 
 
 *' Oh ! " answered Zouhra in an indifferent tone, as 
 she lay back on the cushions, "Not the whole evening, 
 I hope, for it's rather cold." 
 
 " Why didn't you bring your feridj'ie then," said 
 Nazli ; *' you poor sensitive creature ? "
 
 130 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 *' I will go anil fetch it if you like," I said to Zouhra. 
 
 ** Ob, no ! " she answered quickly ; " if you leave us 
 we shall bo afraid." 
 
 " Very well then, I'll go," said Hadidjo, who wanted 
 to carry out her plan. " Let us row to the bank." 
 
 "NVo pulled up to the point nearest to the chateau, and 
 lladidje, not without some nervousness after all, left us 
 and ran off. 
 
 "Keep your eye on mo all the time, won't you?" 
 she said to me as she picked up her long skirt. 
 
 Soon we saw her reach the verandah without any 
 adventure. She ascended the steps and passed in front 
 of Kondjo-Gul. It seemed to us that Kondje-Gul 
 spoke very passionately to her, and that she answered 
 her in the same tones. At last they both had gone in, 
 when all at once we heard piercing shrieks. Apprehend- 
 ing some skirmishing between my two jealous houris, I 
 rushed off, followed at a distance by Zouhra and Nazli, 
 who were frightened at the thought of being left alone. 
 As I entered the harem I found Hadidje and Kondje- 
 Gul, with their hair dishevelled and their clothes torn, 
 struggling together. Kondje-Gul was armed with a 
 little golden dagger, which she wore in her hair, and 
 was striking Hadidje with it. When she saw me she 
 fled and ran to her room to shut herself in. 
 
 We hastened to the assistance of poor Hadidje. She 
 had been wounded on the shoulder, and blood was 
 flowing. Happily the weapon, too harmless to wound 
 seriously, had not penetrated the flesh ; but, breaking 
 \vith the blow, it had scratched her rather severely. I
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 131 
 
 soon felt reassured, and quieted her cries, but not with- 
 out some trouble. 
 
 Mohammed and the servants had run up to the res- 
 cue ; I sent them all back, and after calming Nazli and 
 Zouhra, I staunched the wound with some water. In a 
 few minutes, Hadidje, who had fancied herself murdered, 
 regained her tranquillity of mind, and only complained 
 just enough to keep alive our interest in her grievance. 
 
 Then I questioned her, and she told us that as soon 
 as she had entered the drawing-room,. Kondje-Gul 
 followed her, and giving vent there and then to an out- 
 burst of passion, accused her of being the cause of her 
 disgrace, reproaching her with hypocritical devices for 
 getting over me. Hadidje, according to her version of 
 the affair, had only replied with extreme moderation, 
 when Kondje-Gul, exasperated all of a sudden, rushed 
 at her with her dagger. 
 
 I knew Hadidje' s character too well to place an 
 implicit belief in the whole of this account ; still it was 
 important to put an end to such escapades. The 
 happiness of my household, which had hitherto been so 
 peaceful, was endangered if I failed to act like a just 
 but strict husband. After this outrage committed by 
 Kondje-Gul, my houris, in their indignation, insisted 
 upon a signal vengeance, and demanded forthwith that 
 I should deliver her up to the cadi. The cadi ! that 
 was coming it strong. I had some difficulty, however, in 
 overcoming their persistency ; at last they agreed to a less 
 tragic form of punishment, which went no further than the 
 expulsion of this unworthy companion from the harem.
 
 132 
 
 >rY t'NCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 Sach escapades raigfht, I feared, get wind outside, 
 and cause a scandal. ITowovcr much allowance I might 
 make for the tempers of my honris in these demands 
 for a somewhat summary punishment, I could not con- 
 ceal from myself that, taking everything into considera- 
 tion, it was really necessary for me to punish the offence 
 severely, into whatever difficulties this adventure might 
 lead me. I promised to give satisfaction to their legi- 
 timate indignation. Then, leaving Hadidjc to the care 
 of Zouhra and Nazli, I proclaimed that I was going at 
 once to suhjcct the culprit to an examination, after 
 which I should pronounce sentence upon her.
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 KoNDjE-GuL was Khut up in her room ; I found her 
 sitting on her bed, which was disarranged, and the 
 pillows of which seemed to have been rumpled up in a 
 fit of rage and despair ; she appeared like one stupified, 
 with her gloomy looks, and hands clasping her knees. 
 Her face and her neck bore the marks of Hadidje's nails. 
 The hold from under her eyes had been smeared on 
 her cheeks, which were smudged all over ; she looked 
 just like a little savage, with however the gracefulness 
 of a child. 
 
 She did not stir when I came in ; I walked right up 
 to her, and in the solemn tone of a judge, said — 
 
 " Wretched girl, do you know what you have done ?" 
 
 She remained silent and motionless, fixing her eyes 
 on the carpet.
 
 131 MY I'NCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 " After such an act, will you not answer '? " I con- 
 tinurd. 
 
 " Why do you lovo her ? " she said at last, in a wild 
 Toice. 
 
 "Say, why should I lovo yon?'' I replied, "when 
 your had temper and your jealousy lead you to dis- 
 obedience, to crime — when you stir up quarrels and 
 discords among us ? " 
 
 At these reproaches Kondje-Gul all at once drew her- 
 self up erect before me, and exclaimed passionately — 
 
 " Then you do not love me any longer ?" 
 
 My questions had not reached their mark. 
 
 " This is not the time for me to answer 3'ou," I said. 
 " I am now asking you to account for the act which you 
 have just committed." 
 
 ** Very well ! If you love me no more, I want you to 
 confess it, and I will die ! What have I done to you, 
 that you should prefer Hadidje to mo ? Perhaps she 
 is handsomer than I am, is she ? If you think mo 
 ugly," she added, in a tone of concentrated despair, 
 " tell me straight, and I will go and cast myself into the 
 lake, and you shall see mo no more ! " 
 
 " But no ! I did not say that," I replied, trying to 
 cut short this diversion. 
 
 *' Then what are you reproaching me for ? Hadidj6 
 loves you better than I do, perhaps ? " 
 
 "Neither Iladidjo's sentiments nor mine have any- 
 thing to do with the question. I am asking you about 
 your violence, and the wound you have given her with 
 the dagger ! "
 
 MY UNCLE BAnBASSOU. 135 
 
 " Why did she tell me that you love her Letter than 
 me ? " she answered. 
 
 " She told you that ? " 
 
 *' Yes ; and pretends that you swore to it. For my 
 part, I do not want to be loved like a slave. I have 
 learnt from your books that women in your country die 
 when they are no longer loved. So if you have ceased 
 to love me, I wish to die ! You have told me that I 
 have a heart, a soul, and an intellect, as they have, and 
 that a woman's love makes her the equal of her master. 
 Do you mean to tell me, ungrateful man, that I do not 
 love you ? Have I ever been jealous of Zouhra, or of 
 Nazli ? Why should this Hadidje be everything in your 
 eyes ? If you do not want me any more," she added, in 
 a transport of grief, " say so, then ; crop my hair, shave 
 off my eyebrows, and place me among the servants ! " 
 
 As she said these words, she threw herself down at 
 my feet, which she hugged in a delirium of passion. 
 Her tears coursed down her cheeks, and upon my hands, 
 which she covered with kisses. In her intense emotion 
 her voice betokened such bitter distress, that in spite 
 of my determination to punish her, I felt softened 
 towards her. In presence of these transports of a pas- 
 sion, which admitted no other motive but that of her 
 jealous rage, I saw that it was in vain for me to attempt 
 to awaken her conscience to the sense of her guilty 
 conduct. She could neither hear nor feel anything but 
 the echo of her own grief. I loved her no longer, and 
 I loved Hadidje ! These words returned to her lips 
 over and over again, amid sobs so heart-rending that,
 
 136 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 overcome by pity, and forgetting my resolution, I could 
 not help uttering a word of protestation. I had hardly 
 spoken, when she exclaimed — 
 
 " Is that true ? Do you really love me ? Will you 
 
 swear it '? " 
 
 I then understood the imprudence I had committed, 
 but it was too late. Kondje-Gul, passing at once from 
 affliction to joy, had clasped me in her arras. I wanted 
 to remain stern ; but how could I contend by any argu- 
 ments with such outbursts of mad jealousy? She 
 would not listen to me : she implored me with all the 
 frenzied entreaties and reproaches of which an unreason- 
 in<' nature is capable. At one moment I believed that 
 I had at last brought her mind to realise the actual 
 situation between us, and the justice of my complaints 
 against her conduct. 
 
 " ^yell, yes ! " she said, " I have been very foolish. 
 I ought to have thrown myself at your feet three days 
 af^o ! Ah, if you only Imuw how wretched your coldness 
 made me ! Listen : when you came in just now, think- 
 ing that I had lost your love for ever, I was considering 
 how I could kill myself. But you have forgiven me, 
 have you not ? — No, no ! don't speak to me about 
 tlum! " she continued, sharply, seeing that I was about 
 to answer. ** You know very well that I am no longer 
 like them ; you have formed my heart for a different 
 love to that of the harem. I no longer love yow. just as 
 they do. No ! As for you, you shall love me just as 
 you please — as your servant, if such is your will. Im- 
 prison me, if you like, as a punishment ; all I want is to
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 137 
 
 see you, and to love you. Yes, I was wrong in striking 
 that Hadidje. You know very well that I am still a 
 savage, for you have often told me so. Well, then, 
 teach me your own ideas, your religion. Tell me what 
 you wish me to be ? " she added finally, in tones so soft 
 and tender that I was quite overcome by her. 
 
 I was astounded by this language, by this impassioned 
 eloquence which I had never suspected in her, and 
 which I now heard from her lips for the first time. The 
 butterfly of love had spread out its wings. Psyche was 
 born for love ! No longer for that passive and vague 
 love which was but the awakening of the senses and of 
 pleasure, but for that love of the heart which is life 
 itself, with its sorrows, its joys, and its ecstacies. I 
 contemplated it full of surprise, experiencing the fascina- 
 tion of some new enchantment. 
 
 Louis, how can I describe it ? Within an hour after 
 I had, entered Kondje-Gul's room; our quarrel, her 
 jealousies, her offence, and the punishment I had 
 resolved upon, were all forgotten ! 
 
 Nevertheless, appreciating more completely now the 
 defeat to which I had submitted, I could not fail to 
 perceive the embarrassment which such strange conduct 
 would cause me. It would, at any rate, be remarkably 
 awkward for my wives to learn that the violent scene 
 which had passed, and poor Hadidje' s dagger- wound, had 
 actually become the occasion for a reconciliation with 
 Kondje-Gul. How could I show my face before the 
 victim to whom it was my duty to grant justice ? It 
 was really impossible for me to show such contempt for
 
 188 MY UNCLE BARBABSOU. 
 
 fug and nefas us I bIiouIcI do were I to reward her 
 assault upon Hadidje in such an extraordinary fashion 
 as by pardoning her. "NVhat in the world would Zouhra 
 and Nuzli say ? It would be all over with my authority 
 and my reputation. 
 
 At any cost, therefore, it was necessary for me to con- 
 ceal my very imprudent weakness until their passions 
 had calmed down, or until some conciliatory advances 
 on the part of Kondje-Gul to lladidjc had led to tho 
 forgiveness of this deplorable folly. But directly I 
 attempted to appeal to her reason, Kondje-Gul, full of 
 pride at having won me back, and even making use of 
 my desertion as a weapon in her hands, would not hear 
 of humiliating herself before a rival. In vain I repre- 
 sented to her that my own dignity, ** the proprieties," 
 and justice were at stake ; she held fast to her victory, 
 and would not forego any of its advantages. 
 
 Finally, however, she comprehended the gravity of 
 the situation. 
 
 " Well, do you know what we'll do ? " she said ; "it 
 will be so nice ! They will all believe that you have 
 given me a tremendous scolding. And so you have, for 
 you iLcrc cruel when first you came in ! " 
 
 " I suppose you did not deserve it then ?" I answered. 
 
 " Hold your tongue, sir ! " she said, putting her finger 
 up to her mouth, and pouting like a little child. 
 " You're going to begin again ! Let me tell you my 
 plan, which will settle all our difficulties." 
 
 ** Let mc hear your plan." 
 
 •* Very well ; you shall tell thtm that you have been
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 139 
 
 inexorable, and that you have treated me as an odious 
 creature. For ni}^ part, I shall look still more angry 
 with you. Before them, we will scowl at each other, 
 and make them believe that all is quite at an end 
 between us, and that you have decided to send me away 
 and have me sold." 
 
 ** What a capital idea ! " I said to her. 
 
 " Yes, do let us. It will be so delightful, so clandes- 
 tine ! And then I shall feel that you love me better 
 than them ! " 
 
 " Because we shall deceive them, I suppose." 
 
 ** Yes, yes ! " she exclaimed, with a laugh ; " because 
 we shall deceive them ! Besides," she added in a tone 
 of conviction, "you must know very well yourself that 
 there is no other rational course for us. In the first 
 place I swear I will never beg the pardon of this miser- 
 able Hadidje — never ! " 
 
 For the present it was clearly necessary to agree to 
 this compromise, which at least provided for the exigen- 
 cies of decorum. When I left Kondje-Gul I returned 
 to the chateau from motives of prudence, in order to 
 avoid rousing the suspicions of my wives. 
 
 Nevertheless I must admit it was not without some 
 apprehensions that I returned the next day to the 
 harem. But I was soon reassured when I saw the 
 amiable satisfaction which prevailed among my houris. 
 The absence of Kondje-Gul, who remained in stoic 
 seclusion, left no doubt in their minds that she was in 
 complete disgrace and would certainly be sent away. I 
 even gathered that the silly creature had shown Nazli
 
 lin MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 some bine marks which she had made on her own skin, 
 and told her that I had beaten her ! Hndidje, rather 
 proud of her wound, continued to pjive herself interesting: 
 airs as the principal heroine of this terrible tragedy. As 
 it was in reality merely a scratch, which hurt her very 
 little, her only object in complaining was to emphasize 
 her caprices. After the stormy days we had just gone 
 through, this morning passed like an idyl. Their 
 spirits were all harmonious; and I left them firmly con- 
 vinced that from the way I performed my great act of 
 justice they had no longer anything to fear at the hands 
 of a rival. 
 
 Satisfied at this termination of the incident, which 
 had caused me no small anxiety, I was returning to the 
 chateau, when lo and behold ! as I was passing the 
 bushes, who should appear but Kondje-Gul, who ran up 
 and threw herself into my arms. 
 
 " How's this ? " I said to her ; " you here ! " 
 
 " Yes, dear ; I wanted to see you and kiss you," she 
 exclaimed, bounding with joy like a child ; " and to 
 hear you tell me that you love me still ! " 
 
 "You mad creature, suppose anyone were to see 
 you ! " 
 
 " All right ! " she replied ; "I jumped down from my 
 ■window, for they think I am a prisoner there. I slipped 
 under the verandah, so as not to be noticed by Moham- 
 med, and came here to wait for you. Now, don't scold 
 me. Now that I have seen you I am going back, for 
 fear I should rouse the suspicion of your uiics. Tell 
 me if I'm not clever ! "
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 141 
 
 Then, just as she was running away again, she added 
 in a little tone of importance, 
 
 ** And mind you're careful too ! " 
 
 Eight days have passed since the dramatic events, 
 of which I have related to you the singular termination. 
 Here I am involved in a regular conspiracy of deceit ; I 
 have a secret intrigue with one of my wives. Kondje- 
 Gul plays her part of estrangement in a most curious 
 fashion, with an affectation of melancholy, comhined with 
 haughtiness, and the silly creature is delighted with 
 her efforts. After two or three days of seclusion, she 
 reappeared, talked cynically of her approaching de- 
 parture, and rejoiced over it. We treat each other like 
 spouses definitely divorced from each other, who are 
 nevertheless paying each other, as well-bred people 
 should do, a final tribute of strict politeness after the 
 irreparable breach. Hadidje, Nazli, and Zouhra, con- 
 fident in a dominion which appears to them henceforth 
 assured, admire my great qualities as a dispenser of 
 justice. 
 
 My dear Louis, do you wish me to confess to you the 
 most remarkable consequence of this business ? Yes, of 
 course you do. I promised that this psychological 
 study should be conducted with sincerity, and that 
 nothing should be shirked. Well then, in the course 
 of my analytical observations, this mystery with Kondje- 
 Gul, these tastings of forbidden fruit, form certainly the 
 most exquisite experience I have met with. You may 
 tell me, if you like, that I am a panclour, and that my
 
 142 MY IKCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 taste has been perverted by a life of unbridled Epicure- 
 anism ; you may tell me that the charms of duplicity, 
 of falsehood, and of this connivance in the guise of a 
 childish deception, are exercising a morbid fascination 
 over my demoralized heart. You may be right. I would 
 only ask you to express yourself somewhat less bluntly. 
 At any rate, you will not, I presume, expect mo to 
 account for tho frailties of our mortal nature. I guess 
 what you are thinking — out with it ! 
 
 Notwithstanding my fine array of principles and the 
 strict vows I made to myself to distribute my affec- 
 tions equally between my cadines, it certainly looks very 
 much as if I have selected a favourite. Have I fallen 
 to this extent? I don't know. AYhat is the good, 
 moreover, of arguing about it ? Is it true that undis- 
 turbed possession is the rock upon which love splits, 
 and that constraint, on the contrary, acts as a spur to 
 it ? Instead of arguing aimlessly about such incon- 
 sistencies in human nature, it seems to me much simpler 
 to recognise in them, as Kondje-Gul does, a decree of 
 Fate. Can you blame me for sacrificing futile theories 
 to the higher motives by which I am guided ? 
 
 The fact is that this necessity for dissimulation, these 
 deceptions, and these clandestine interviews, have pro- 
 duced between Kondje-Gul and me a sort of spring-tide of 
 dehghtful expansion of the affections. You should see 
 us in the day-time, both of us as stiff as starch in the 
 presence of the others. You should see the manceuvres 
 we perform in order to exchange a sly smile or a shako 
 of the hands out of sijjht. You should see also what
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 143 
 
 pretty little airs of disdain she puts on for her rivals, 
 who are slumbering in their paradise of illusion ! If 
 we are alone by chance, she says, 
 
 " Quick ! your wives are not here," and throws herself 
 into my arms. 
 
 Those words coming from her lips, will reveal to you 
 quite a new order of sentiments, a strange form of love, 
 which could only spring from the education of the 
 harem. Although civiUsed already at heart, Kondje- 
 Gul being still backward in her ideas and traditional 
 associations, does not trouble herself about my other 
 wives. She could not conceive of my being reduced to 
 such a singular state of destitution as that of a poor 
 or a miserly man, who abstains from the luxury of a 
 few odalisques. In her eyes, Hadidje, Zouhra, and 
 Nazli, form part of my establishment, and of my daily 
 routine ; while she possesses me in secret. For her 
 sake, I am unfaithful to them, I enter her chamber at 
 night by the window, which I climb up to when all are 
 asleep. 
 
 All this, you will tell me, is folly on my part. Ah, 
 my dear fellow, our pleasure in life is only made up of 
 such trifles, which our imagination generally provides 
 for us. In those secret interviews I discovered in 
 Kondje-Gul, who was certainly endowed with a frank 
 and straightforward mind, a number of graces which I 
 had never been able to detect before during our inter- 
 course in the harem. Nothing could be stranger or 
 more fascinating than the love of this poor slave- 
 sweetheart, still so humble and timid, and dazzled as it 
 
 I 2
 
 144 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 were by the brilliancy of her dream. Her oriental ideas 
 and tbe superstitions of her childhood, mingled with 
 the vague notions which she has acquired of our world 
 and of a truer ideal, form within her heart and in her 
 mind a most original collection of contrasts. One 
 is reminded of a bird suddenly surprised at feeling 
 her wings, but not yet venturing to launch out into the 
 open. Add to all these attractions the impulses of a 
 passion, exalted perhaps by solitude or by satisfaction 
 at her victory over her rivals, and, even if you blame 
 my conduct, you will at least understand the seductions 
 which precipitated my fall. 
 
 At Ferouzat we have great news : the camels have 
 been discovered ! A letter from Captain Picklock 
 informed us of this. My uncle is quite jubilant ; and 
 we have planned a trip to Marseilles to meet them. 
 Another piece of news is that my aunt has undertaken 
 with Doctor IMorand, ■without appearing to have a hand 
 in it, a great philanthropic work. I must tell you that 
 a few years ago the doctor discovered here a hot spring 
 of ferruginous water, the eflfects of which upon the few 
 patients whom he was able to induce to visit this hole, 
 have been simply marvellous. What is wanted now is 
 to estabhsh tbere some sort of hospital for convales- 
 cents. My aunt at once decided that she, my uncle, 
 and I should find the funds for it. A hundred thousand 
 francs are more than sufficient for the modest founda- 
 tion which we contemplate. But from motives of 
 delicacy, and in order to avoid any appearance of osten-
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 145 
 
 tation, we arranged with the mayor and the vicar to 
 open a subscription, in order that the enterprise might 
 appear to be supported by public charity, and that all 
 personal liberality should be concealed by associating 
 the whole district with it. The consequence was that 
 Ferouzat has had a visit from the Prefect of the Depart- 
 ment, accompanied by several members of the General 
 Council, and that, in addition to this, my aunt has 
 organised a committee of the leading inhabitants of the 
 neighbourhood. Of course I am her secretary, and I 
 leave you to guess whether her activity overworks me. I 
 assure you my aunt has in her the making of a statesman. 
 
 My dear friend, an incident of noteworthy importance, 
 and of quite exceptional gravity, has just thrown me 
 into the greatest perturbation of mind. 
 
 The other morning my aunt started upon a round of 
 calls on behalf of her great enterprise. 
 
 "Andre," she said to me, "come with me like a 
 good nephew; I need your help." 
 
 So off we started in the carriage, down the great 
 drive of the chateau ; I thinking that we were going to 
 the doctor's, or else to the Camboulious. When we 
 arrived at the gate, Bernard asked from his box for his 
 orders. 
 
 " To El-Nouzha," said my aunt. 
 " "What ! " I exclaimed, " to Mohammed- Azis ? " 
 "Yes," she replied; "His Excellency's name will 
 look very nice on our list. It will be a sort of pledge of 
 our excellent foreign relations."
 
 146 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 ** Have you forgotten ? A Mahometan ! " 
 
 " Certainly : an infidel's charity is quite as good in 
 its effects as a Christian's.** " 
 
 "But he lives a very retired life. Such a visit will 
 take him very much hy surprise." 
 
 " You are intimate with him ; you introduce me. 
 Nothing could he more correct ; that's why I brought 
 you with me." 
 
 In truth nothing could be more correct ; I was 
 caught in her trap, and could say nothing more, for 
 fear of exciting suspicion in her alert and penetrating 
 mind. I had no doubt in my own mind that my aunt's 
 real object was to satisfy a curiosity which she had 
 cherished for a long time past. How could I oppose 
 this tenacious purpose of hers ? By what plausible 
 pretext could I divert her from taking a step so natural, 
 and so cleverly justified ? I was caught, and my only 
 hopes rested in Mohammed's behaviour, and in his 
 gibberish dialect, which would at least render con- 
 versation so difficult, that it would be easy for me to 
 intervene. We rolled on in the carriage ; my aunt was 
 dehghted. I succeeded pretty well in concealing my 
 apprehensions. After all, the chief danger seemed to 
 be over directly my aunt stopped at the official entrance 
 of El-Nouzha. The ** selamlik," inhabited by Mo- 
 hammed, where we were received, is according to the 
 Turkish custom, entirely separated from the harem, the 
 gardens of which are walled off fi'om it, and hidden from 
 sight. 
 
 In a quarter of an hour we arrived in front of His
 
 MY UNCLE BAEEASSOU. 147 
 
 Excellency's abode. The gate was shut, as it always is. 
 The footman got down and rang, but no one answered 
 the bell. For a moment I had hopes ; but at the 
 third ring of the bell (which my aunt ordered), one of 
 Mohammed's servants, a Cerberus stationed on this 
 side of the house, showed himself at the grating of the 
 inner door. 
 
 " His Excellency Mohammed- Azis is at home, is he 
 not?" shouted my aunt. "Tell him that Monsieur 
 Andi'e de Peyrade has called to see him." 
 
 Recognising me in the carriage, Cerberus hesitated. 
 He was actually going to open the gate to let the carriage 
 pass through. I sharply commanded him to do as my 
 aunt told him. To give Mohammed warning, was at 
 once to put him on his guard. 
 
 *' There is no need for taking the carriage in," said 
 my aunt ; "we will cross the lawn on foot. The lawn 
 is there still, I suppose?" 
 
 " Yes, aunt." 
 
 *' Well, then, give me your hand to get out, and now 
 forward ! If His Excellency will not receive us, I shall 
 at least have had a glimpse of a corner of the park. 
 "Wliat a funny idea it was of the Captain to let him this 
 place ! " 
 
 She led me on without any more ado, and we entered. 
 
 " Oh ! the sycamores have grown splendidly," she 
 said. 
 
 At that moment we noticed Mohammed coming down 
 the steps, and walking towards us. 
 
 *' Ah, His Excellency has not forsaken his old ideas! "
 
 148 MY UNCLE BAKBASSOU. 
 
 said my auut ; "he still wears the costume of the tiuo 
 believers. As he is coming, let us hurry on, to be 
 pohte." 
 
 The danger was impending, nothing could now save 
 mo from it. I summoned up all my self-control. "When 
 I was a few steps oflf His Excellency, I slipped away 
 quickly and ran up to him. 
 
 "Be careful," I said to him in a whisper; "it is 
 my aunt. Keep your counsel, and don't let her 
 suspect anything." 
 
 Then I went through the formal introduction, deliver- 
 ing it in the famous sahir which I told you of. 
 Mohammed in the same idiom was fashioning a compli- 
 ment as profound as it was difficult to understand, 
 when my aunt all at once answered him in the purest 
 Turkish. — I felt myself quite lost. 
 
 A minute afterwards we were ensconced in the 
 drawing-room of the " selamlik." My aunt described 
 the object of her visit. I must tell you that this rascal 
 Mohammed played his part with the most affable 
 gravity imaginable, albeit somewhat timidly, as if he 
 felt whizzing through the air a shadowy reminder of 
 the stick with which, no doubt, my uncle had trained 
 him. I kept my eye on him all the time, and his eye 
 wandered from me to my aunt with a distressed expres- 
 sion. Great drops of perspiration started from his face. 
 Finally, at a sign from me, he generously promised 
 his subscription, and on the whole got through the ordeal 
 very well. 
 
 My anxieties being now removed, I was beginning to
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 149 
 
 breathe more fully, wlien my aunt, just as the interview 
 was coming to a close, expressed to him, in the most 
 gracefully delicate manner possible, her desire to pay a 
 visit to his daughters, whose acquaintance she would 
 be delighted to make. 
 
 I was stupefied. To have refused the entree of the 
 harem to a lady of my aunt's rank would have been an 
 offence to her; she was too well acquainted with 
 Mussulman customs for it to be possible to put her off 
 with any pretext. Mohammed, still maintaining his 
 dignified attitude, rephed without any hesitation, by a 
 gesture of delighted acquiescence, and without the least 
 embarrassment got up, saying that he was about to 
 inform them of their good fortune. I felt rather 
 reassured. From the manner in which the old fellow 
 had acted "His Excellency," it was clear that this was 
 not the first time he had been called upon to " save the 
 situation." 
 
 " You would like to follow me, I daresay," said my 
 aunt with a laugh, as soon as he had left us. 
 
 "Why, of course," I replied, in a careless enough 
 tone. " Still, if his daughters take after him, you will 
 admit that it may be better to content myself with my 
 illusions." 
 
 " You dear innocent boy ! Why, with a Turk, you 
 never know what to expect ! " 
 
 Mohammed came back to tell my aunt that her visit 
 had been announced, and then, preceding her with a 
 dignified bow he opened for her the gates communi- 
 cating with the harem. I remained behind. What
 
 150 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 would happen '? Although the remarkable self posses- 
 sion of my eunuch had set mo more at my ease, it was 
 a critical moment. It was evident that there would bo 
 great excitement among my houris. They would feel 
 at homo gossiping with my aunt, as she spoke Turkish, 
 and they would very likely let out everything. If ono 
 of them mentioned my name only, my aunt would guess 
 it aU. 
 
 I waited in a state of suspense such as you can 
 imagine. Finally, after half-au-hour of cruel anxieties, 
 the sound of the closed door in the neighbouring room 
 informed me that I was about to Imow my fate. My 
 aunt came in, and I did not dare look her in the face. 
 Fortunately I gathered from her first words that I had 
 nothing more to fear ; she complimented Mohammed 
 upon his good fortune as the father of such charming 
 daughters, promising often to return to spend a few 
 hours ^^^th them, and then at last we said " Good-bye " 
 to Ilis Excellency. 
 
 On our return, my aunt persisted in her eulogiums 
 upon the young Turkish women, chaffing me about my 
 long solitary period of waiting for her, separated only 
 by a few walls from those pretty birds shut up in their 
 golden cage. During the whole of luncheon she 
 regaled my uncle with her description of these wonder- 
 ful beauties. He kept looking at me from the corner 
 of his eye with a furious expression. 
 
 As soon as I could escape, I ran off to El-Nouzha to 
 question Mohammed about what had happened in the 
 harem. He related the whole scene to me in detail.
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 151 
 
 Nazli, Hadidje, and Zouhra were alone v.-hen he went 
 to prepare them for my aunt's visit. As Kondje-Gul 
 was reading in her room, she had not been informed of 
 it. At the news of such a great event my houris 
 screamed with joy. Trained as he had been by my 
 uncle never to forget his part as the father, he had 
 taken care to remind them that, in accordance with 
 French usage, they must not allow it to be in the least 
 suspected that they knew me. They promised to do as 
 he vrished them, swearing faithfully to keep all his 
 commands. My aunt was then introduced. When 
 they saw her, my houris rose up rather frightened, but 
 she soon set them at ease with a kind word, and then 
 conversation began. Needless to say, the countess's 
 toilet formed the chief topic of discourse. 
 
 I will not try to depict for you the state of excitement 
 in which I found my sultanas, nor the accounts which 
 they had to give me themselves of this great event. 
 Their sanguine imaginations vrere already occupied by 
 the absolute necessity, as they deemed it, of returning 
 my aunt's call. Her kindness had very naturally 
 charmed them to the point of believing that no obstacle 
 could arise to hinder the continuance of friendly 
 relations so well inaugurated. They went on chatter- 
 ing all the evening about the incidents of this lucky 
 and delightful event, taking particular pleasure in 
 repeating before Kondje-Grul v.ho had been absent (and 
 whom they confidently hoped to exclude from their new 
 relations, all the kind things which the pasha's wife had 
 said to them. It was certainly a splendid revenge upon
 
 152 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 their rival for that evening escapade which she had 
 boasted so much about. 
 
 Poor Kondje-Gul, disappointed as she was already at 
 having had no share in this unexpected treat, listened 
 without a word, her sad eyes questioning me all the 
 time. I reassured her with a nod, letting the silly 
 creatures prattle away in their glee, and amuse them- 
 selves with sanguine projects of such a revolutionary 
 character that it would have been impossible to discuss 
 them. 
 
 I began to consider for myself the best way to cut 
 short these unforeseen complications. Although I was 
 out of danger for the present, the veil which concealed 
 the secrets of El-Nouzha was only supported by a 
 thread. My aunt was not the woman to remain long 
 deceived, and with her quick mind, the slightest impru- 
 dent word, the slightest clue, would suffice to arouse her 
 suspicions. I did not even feel sure but what my aunt, 
 impelled by her curiosity, might be only too eager to 
 exchange visits with His Excellency's daughters, and 
 the very thought of this was enough to make me 
 tremble. 
 
 The result of my cogitations was a resolve to take 
 decisive measures for putting a stop to such extremely 
 delicate and critical complications as I apprehended. It 
 might, indeed, have been possible for me, while carefully 
 mystifying every one, to have continued unabashed my 
 oriental pursuits and avocations under the secure shelter 
 of the walls of El-Nouzha. They represented, after 
 all, nothing worse than one of those intrigues in the
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 153 
 
 neighbourhood with which my aunt had herself credited 
 me, but after this visit to the Kasre which had brought 
 her into contact with my houris, the most ordinary 
 respect for the proprieties required me to prevent such 
 conjunctures from recurring. Moreover, our time at 
 Ferouzat was drawing to a close, for we were to spend 
 the winter in Paris. I therefore determined to antici- 
 pate our departure, and to remove my harem imme- 
 diately. Once lost in the crowd and din of Paris, my 
 secret would be safe. 
 
 The removal is now settled. A talk with my uncle 
 simplified matters. As you may imagine, I had to 
 explain to him the risks entailed by such an occurrence 
 as my aunt's visit, which might lead her mind to revert 
 to some incidents in the Captain's past life which had 
 so far remained unintelligible. Barbassou Pasha did 
 not trouble himself very seriously about it, but he 
 approved of my decision, and, contenting himself with 
 a few growls at me by the way, affectionately proceeded 
 to give me the assistance of his experience. It seems 
 that he has — or rather I have — a house at Paris, which 
 was furnished expressly for the use of His Excellency 
 Mohammed Azis during my uncle's visits there. Orders 
 have ah-eady been sent to have it ready. Then plausible 
 reasons for my departure have been invented ; some 
 pretended business of importance, which we have been 
 discussing several days past before my aunt, and which 
 "might necessitate my presence in Paris." Truly my 
 uncle's composure is wonderful ! 
 
 As to my houris of El-Nouzha, I need hardly tell you
 
 154 
 
 MY UNCLE BAllBASaOU. 
 
 that the coming journey has been the subject of a most 
 extraordinary enthusiasm on their part. The idea of 
 seemg Paris has quite turned their heads, and caused 
 them to forget theii- proposed visits to Ferouzat. In 
 order to put all coirjeetures ofl" the scent, Mohammed is 
 going to start to-morrow ostensibly for Marseilles, as if 
 ho were returning to Turkey. The cool November 
 weather having set in, nothing could be more natural 
 than this return to his native land. The end of his 
 journey, however, will be the Faubourg St. Germain, to 
 which he will direct his course by a circuitous route, 
 and where I shall rejoin him on my arrival at Paris 
 next week.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The deed is done ! We managed everything without 
 the slightest hitch. I write to you from Paris, from 
 our house iu the Piue de Varenues ; it seems like years 
 since I was last there, so many things have happened 
 during the six months since I left it. All my surround- 
 ings belong to a life so different from my present one, 
 that it requires an exertion of thought to identify my- 
 self and realise my position here. 
 
 My harem is established in the Kue de Monsieur 
 — iu the former "Pare aux Cerfs" of my uncle — a 
 splendid mansion, the gardens of which reach to the 
 Boulevard des Invalides. My uncle has absolutely the 
 genius of an ancient Epicurean transferred by accident 
 into our own century. To look at the street, with its 
 cold and deserted aspect, one might imagine oneself in
 
 156 MT UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 
 
 a corner of aristocratic Versailles. My mystery is safely 
 LiJJcu away there. Mohammed while at Paris is no 
 longer an exiled Minister, but simply a rich Turk who 
 has acquired a taste for European civilisation. His 
 name is Omer-Rashid-Eflfendi, a name under which ho 
 has already passed here twice. 
 
 My houris are astonished with all they see, and their 
 pleasure is indescribable. Of course my first care was 
 to Europeanise their toilettes. In pursuance of my 
 orders (for, as you may be sure, I do not appear in such 
 matters) a fashionable dressmaker was sent for by Mo- 
 hammed. "Wliat a business it was ! The difficulty was 
 to avoid making them, with their oriental styles and 
 deportments, look stiff and awkward when confined 
 for the first time in the garb of our civilised torture- 
 house. 
 
 By a happy compromise between fashion and fancy, 
 the clever artiste has contrived for them costumes which 
 are marvels of good taste and simplicity. Nothing could 
 be more successful than this metamorphosis ; their 
 coif arcs complete the picture, and I can hardly recog- 
 nise my almees under the bewitching little hats worn by 
 our Paiisian women. I assure you it is a transfigura- 
 tion replete with surprises and unexpected charms. 
 Attired Hko our women of fashion, their striking and 
 original beauty, which was my admiration at El-Nouzha, 
 impresses me in quite a novel manner, which I seem to 
 understand better as I compare them by the side of our 
 own women. Like young foreign ladies of distinction 
 habited in the costumes of our civilisation, they seem
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 157 
 
 to shed around them wherever they go a sort of exotic 
 fragrance. 
 
 Everything, of course, had to he changed now that 
 they are in Paris; they could no longer follow the 
 routine of their former existence within the four walls 
 of the harem. They were now at liberty to go out 
 walking, and take little trips ; hut here at once appeared 
 a most serious diflSculty for them to overcome. How 
 could they show themselves in the streets, the Champs 
 Elysees, or the Bois, without their veils just like infidels? 
 That was a serious question ! It was impossible for 
 them to make up their minds to such a shameful breach 
 of Mussulman law ; and, if I must admit it, I myself ex- 
 perienced a strange sort of revulsion at the thought of 
 it. Yes, to this have I come ! Nevertheless, on the 
 other hand, it was quite out of the question for tbem to 
 shew themselves out of doors enshrouded in their triple 
 veils, attracting wherever they went the remarks of the 
 idle crowd. 
 
 At last, after a great many hesitations, Zouhra, who 
 is the bravest of them all, ventured to go out with 
 me, buried in the recesses of a brougham, and pro- 
 tected by a very thick kind of mantilla, which after all 
 was hardly any less impenetrable than a yashmak. Then 
 they grew bolder, and impelled by curiosity, their 
 coquetry getting the better of their bashful timidity, 
 they took a drive one day in a landau to the Bois with 
 Mohammed. I mounted on horseback and met them, 
 without appearing to know them. Everything went oif 
 as well as could be.
 
 158 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 The carriage which I had purchased is severely simple 
 in style, as is suitable for a foreigner of distinction. In 
 his European disguise Mohammed maintains that ex- 
 pression of serene dignity which so excellently suits his 
 part of a father escorting his three daughters. There 
 is, in short, nothing about the latter to excite attention. 
 If a dark pair of eyes is sometimes distinguishable 
 through the embroidered veils, the fashion, at any rate, 
 l)ermits the features to be sufficiently disguised to con- 
 ceal the beauty of my sultanas from over-bold glances. 
 
 Of course poor Kondjc-Gul, still living av.ay from 
 the others, does not take part in these frolics ; but wo 
 thus gain some hours of liberty. On the second day, 
 while my ivivcs were driving in the Bois, we took our 
 opportunity of going out, like true lovers, arm in arm ; 
 it was most delightful ! 
 
 We went on foot to the Boulevards. You may guesa 
 what raptures Kondje-Gul was in each step wo took. 
 It was the first time she had been out with me alone, 
 the first time she had felt herself free and released from 
 the imprisonment of the harem. Many an inquisitive 
 fellow, seeing us pass, and struck with her dignified 
 manner, stopped of a sudden, and tried to distinguish 
 her features through the veil. We quietly laughed at 
 his disappointment. 
 
 When we arrived at the Rue de la Paix, wo went into 
 some of the well-known jewellers' shops. At the sight 
 of so many marvels, you may guess how she was dazzled. 
 She felt as if in a dream. We spoke in Turkish ; and 
 the puzzled shop-keepers gazed in astonishment upon
 
 MY UNCLE BAKBASSOU. 159 
 
 this strange display of Asiatic cliarms, wliicli they had 
 evidently met T\-ith for the first time. All this amused 
 us ; and it is unnecessary to add that I quitted these 
 haunts of temptation with a considerably lighter purso 
 than when I entered them. 
 
 "We have already had several of thjese little sprees, 
 and nothing can be more fascinating than Kondje-Gul's 
 childish delight ; everything is new to her. Trans- 
 ported, as if by magic, from her monotonous existence 
 at El-Nouzha into the midst of these splendours, this 
 free life, and this animated world, she feels like one 
 walking in a dream ; the whole atmosphere intoxicates 
 her. 
 
 We form plans innumerable. In the first place Ave 
 have decided that her position in regard to my wives 
 shall be definitely fixed, and that she shall live hence- 
 forth separated from them in another part of the house, 
 where she shall have private attendants. "We shall thus 
 be able to see each other without any constraint, and 
 she will no longer be subjected to the sneers of my silly 
 houris, who have been treating her apparent disgrace 
 too brutally since our arrival at Paris. My proud 
 Kondje-Gul, in the consciousness of her ascendency 
 over me, would be sure to make a scene with them 
 some day. 
 
 Besides, as I have already told you, she furnishes me 
 every day with a more and more engrossing subject of 
 study. I should like you to understand what sweet and 
 seductive labour this progressive initiation is ; I am 
 watching the development of a mind which I am myself
 
 160 MY UNCLE BARBASSOr. 
 
 forming. There is no subject in regard to her, not even 
 her receptive intelligence, which fails to afford me innu- 
 merable surprises. Sometimes I discover original views 
 and opinions of hers upon matters connected with our 
 European civilisation, at the correctness of which I am 
 absolutely amazed. Her progress is surprising, and 
 she wishes to learn everything, knowing how much 
 is required in order to become ** civilised," as she 
 calls it. 
 
 My uncle and my aunt arc in Paris. 
 
 A month without any news, you say. And you talk 
 sarcastically about my leisure, and rally me upon the 
 subject of that famous system, which I used to boast 
 was a simplification of life. If I might judge from 
 your twaddle, you imagine me to be saddled with the 
 very cares and worries from which I justly boasted that 
 I was exempt. You picture me running backwards and 
 forwards, and incessantly occupied with my four wives, 
 so that I have not even time to write to you. 
 
 Absurd fancy : this is my real situation. 
 
 As soon as my four wives were settled down in their 
 new home, they permitted me much more freedom than 
 did the least burdensome of my former amours. No 
 anxieties now, no jealousies, no fears for the future. 
 They are not like some of those feminine taskmasters 
 who take entire possession of you, forcing you to follow 
 the adored object to the theatre, or take it to the ball, 
 in order to have the pleasure of watching it flirting bare- 
 shouldered with some intimate friend, A\ho will per-
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 161 
 
 haps be its next lover. No, in my role of sultan my 
 amours are modestly hidden from profane eyes in the 
 recesses of my harem, and there I am always welcome 
 whenever I choose to come. I keep the key in my pocket. 
 At any hour of the day or night I can go there in my 
 quality of owner without having to leave my club, my 
 friends, my work, or my amusements a moment earlier 
 than I desire. 
 
 Such, then, is the " anxious existence " which you 
 attribute to me. Find me a husband who can act in 
 the same way. 
 
 Still, as might have been foreseen, great changes 
 have taken place in the internal arrangements of my 
 household, where it became necessary that the Turkish 
 elements should be partially replaced by others more 
 adapted to the exigencies of western civilization. 
 
 A memorable event has occurred. 
 
 Hadidje, Nazli, and Zouhra went the other day to the 
 opera. It is needless to say that I was there. I must 
 admit that their nervousness was so extreme at making 
 this bold experiment that, watching them from my own 
 stall as they came in, I thought for a moment that they 
 were going to run away again. 
 
 Already in their walks they were getting into train- 
 ing, and in regard to their veils exhibited a certain 
 amount of coquetry ; but now it became necessary to 
 disregard the law of Mahomet entirely. They had 
 never seen the inside of a theatre before, so you can 
 imagine that when they found themselves in the box, 
 with their unveiled faces exposed to the gaze of a
 
 162 MY UNCLK BARKASSOU. 
 
 multitiulo of infidel eyes, nil the bold rcsolutious which 
 they had made for this decisive cllbrt were put to the 
 rout. Strange as such Mohammedan bashfulness may 
 seem to us, they felt, as they afterwards told me, that 
 appearing there unveiled, was "just hke exhibiting 
 themselves naked." 
 
 However, as soon as this first impression was over- 
 come, thanks chiefly to the exhortations of Mohammed, 
 who was almost at his wits' ends to manage them, 
 they succeeded in putting on sufficient assurance to 
 dissemble their very sincere dread, so that at a dis- 
 tance it looked merely like excessive shyness. The 
 lifting of the curtain for the first act of " Don Juan " 
 fortunately changed the current of their emotions. 
 During the entr'acte their box became the object of 
 attraction to the subscribers and the frequenters of first 
 night's performances. Their indolent, oriental type 
 of beauty, notwithstanding the partial disguise effected 
 by their present costumes, could not fail to produce 
 a sensation. 
 
 Who, it was asked, was this old gentleman with his 
 three daughters of such surprising beauty ? In the 
 Jockey Club's box, where I went to hear the gossip, 
 everyone was talking about them, as of some important 
 political event ; Mohammed was an American mil- 
 lionaire, according to some, a Piussiau prince, or a 
 Rnjah just arrived from India, according to others. 
 "VVhcn I smiled in a significant manner (as I began to 
 do, on purpose), they immediately surmised that I fancied 
 I knew more about the matter than the rest of them,
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 163 
 
 thereupon they surrounded me, and pressed me with 
 questions. 
 
 I had aheady come to the conchision that it would ho 
 hotter to calm their minds, and thus avoid all incon- 
 venient enquiries. I therefore gave them an account, 
 which after all was not far from the truth, namely, that 
 Omer-Rashid-Effendi was a rich Turk, " whoso acquaint- 
 ance I had the honour of making at Damascus, and 
 who had come to stay at Paris with his family." I 
 thus insured myself against any suspicion of mystery 
 arising in connection with my visits to the house in the 
 Rue de Monsieur, in the event of these coming to light 
 by any chance. 
 
 Our relations, you will see, were thus defined once 
 for all. This new life is nothing but a succession of 
 delights to my almees ; and I have really now attained 
 the ideal in the way of harems, through the absence of 
 that monotony which is the inevitable result of the 
 system of rigid seclusion. Under the influence of our 
 civilized surroundings, the ideas of my houris are 
 undergoing a gradual, transformation. They have 
 French lady's maids, and their study of our refinements 
 of fashion has opened out quite a new world of coquettish 
 charms to them. My " little animals " have grown into 
 women : this single word will convey to you the whole 
 delicious significance of this story of mine, the secret 
 of which you alone in the whole world possess. 
 
 As we had decided, Kondje-Gul has been separated 
 from her over-jealous companions. Hadidje, Zouhra, and 
 Nazli have taken this measure to be a confirmation of 
 
 K 2
 
 161 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 her disgrace, and knowing that she lives in a sequestered 
 corner of the bouse, tbcy fancy their triumph more 
 assumed than ever. I can place implicit confidence in 
 the discretion of my servants — who wait on us like 
 mutes in a seraglio : consequently Kondje-Gul and I 
 are as free as possible. When I want to go out with 
 her, I pay a short visit to my wives, and after a quarter 
 of an hour's talk, leave them and go oflF in my carriage, 
 in the recesses of which my darling reclines. Now you 
 see what a simple device it is and how ingenious ; still 
 it involves a certain amount of constraint for me, and 
 an isolation bard to endure for Kondje-Gul. She reads 
 and devours everything that I bring her in the way of 
 books ; but the days are long, and Mohammed, with bis 
 time taken up by the others, cannot accompany her 
 out of doors. I therefore conceived the idea of 
 taking her away from the harem altogether, and thus 
 relieving her of the contemptuous insults which my 
 other silly women still find opportunities of inflicting 
 upon her. The difficulty was to procure a chaperon for 
 her, some kind of suitable and reliable duenna whom I 
 could leave with her in a separate establishment ; this 
 duenna has been found. 
 
 The other day Kondjc-Gul and I were talking together 
 about a little house which I had discovered in the 
 upper part of the Champs Elysees, and of an English 
 governess, who seemed to me to possess the right qualifi- 
 cations for a pretended mother : 
 
 " If you like," said Kondje-Gul, " I can tell you a 
 much simpler arrangement."
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 165 
 
 "Well? "I replied. 
 
 *' Instead of this governess whom I don't know, I 
 would much rather have my mother. I should be so 
 happy at seeing her again ! " 
 
 "Your mother?" I exclaimed with surprise; "do 
 you know where she is then ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes ! for I often write to her." 
 
 She then told me all her past history, which I had 
 never before thought of asking her, believing that she 
 had been left alone in the world. It afforded me a 
 complete revelation of those Turkish customs which 
 seem so strange to us. Kondje-Gul's mother, as I 
 have told you, was a Circassian, who came to Constan- 
 tinople to enter the service of a cadine of the Sultan. 
 Kondje-Gul being a very pretty child, her mother had, 
 in her ambitious fancy, anticipated from her beauty a 
 brilliant career for her. In order to realise this expec- 
 tation, she left her at twelve years old with a family 
 who were instructed to bring her up better than she 
 could have done herself, until Kondje-Gul was old 
 enough to be sought after as a cadine or a wife. 
 
 This hope on the part of her mother was accomplished, 
 as you know, for the girl was purchased for a good round 
 sum by Mohammed. Thus poor Kondje-Gul fulfilled 
 her destiny. Then she related to me how her mother, 
 several years ago, had found a better situation for herself 
 with a French consul at Smyrna, and had learnt French 
 there. 
 
 Kondje-Gul's idea was a happy one, and I was inclined 
 to entertain it. I consented to her writing to Smyrna,
 
 16G 
 
 MY UNCLE 13A11BASS0U. 
 
 and some days Inter she received an answer to the effect 
 that in about a couple of months her mother would bo 
 able to join her providing the requisite means were sent 
 her for this purpose. I have a house in view where 
 they can live together. It is a little house belonging to 
 Count dc Teral, who is on his way back to Lisbon : one 
 might really fancy he had got it ready on pui-pose 
 for me. 
 
 WTiat have you to say to this, you profound moralist ?
 
 CHAPTER Viri. 
 
 Again you complain of my silence, in a letter written 
 ■with the object of overwhelming me with abuse ; and 
 you mix up sarcasms (through which your childish 
 curiosity is very transparent) with philosophical remarks 
 which reveal the snobbishness of your nature. In fact, 
 from the tone of your letters, one might imagine I was 
 threatened by strange complications, and that you were 
 hoping every morning to read the account of some 
 catastrophe. For once in a way your longing for an 
 important event will not be disappointed, for I have a 
 weighty piece of news for you. As it belongs to the 
 most strictly moral order of events, you may listen 
 without any anxiety. 
 
 As you are aware, my aunt and uncle came to Paris
 
 1G8 MY UNCLE B.VRBASSOU. 
 
 a fortnight ngo, and will stay hero all tlio winter. The 
 house in the Paic do Yarcnncs has resumed its gay 
 honours ; we give receptions, dinners, and everything 
 else that you are familiar with, hut emhcllishcd this 
 time by the presence of the chai-ming Countess of 
 Monteclaro, who supplies that lively clement of family 
 life which wo rather missed formerly. My aunt has 
 discovered here a young cousin of hers, Count Daniel 
 Kiusko, a capital fellow, whom I have quite made 
 friends with. 
 
 Having given you these details, I will now proceed 
 with my story. 
 
 The other morning, after breakfast, as I was about 
 to return to my room (for whatever you may believe, I 
 am working hard just now), my uncle stopped me, and 
 without any further preliminaries began : 
 
 " By the way, Andre, I expect Madame Saulnicr and 
 my god-daughter Anna Campbell, your betrothed, to 
 dinner this evening. I should not mind letting you 
 make her acquaintance. If you happen to bo curious 
 to see her, don't make any engagements at the club, 
 and come home punctually." 
 
 " Really ! " exclaimed my aunt with a laugh, and 
 without giving me time to answer : " from tho way 
 you put it, one might think you were talking of 
 some doll that you intended to offer Andre for his 
 birthday ! " 
 
 " What the deuce do you mean by that, my dear? " 
 asked the captain in his imperturbable way. 
 
 *' I mean," said my aunt, " that this little acquaint-
 
 BIY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 1G9 
 
 ance wliicli you wish they should make with each other 
 before you marry them, seems to me a very necessary 
 preHminary. 
 
 " Pooh ! They've still a good year before them ! 
 Besides, this little matter has nothiug to do with 
 romance." Then turning to me he continued ; " Well, 
 if that suits you for to-day, I have given you notice." 
 
 " Capital ! " added my aunt. " Well, Andre ! How 
 does it suit you ? " 
 
 "Why, aunt," I said, laughing in my turn at their 
 little dispute ; " I think my uncle may rely equally with 
 you upon the pleasure it will give me." 
 
 " All right, that's settled ! " continued my aunt in 
 an inimitable tone of hilarity ; "at seven o'clock 
 punctually, my dear nephew, you will come and fall 
 in love." 
 
 My uncle took no more notice of this last ironical 
 shaft than of the rest, but occupied himself with select- 
 ing a cigar, remarking that what he had were too dry. 
 My aunt availed herself of the opportunity of continuing 
 her conversation with me. 
 
 "Between you and me," she said, "I may tell you 
 that you are not much to be pitied, for she is a charming 
 girl, and you would really lose a good deal by not 
 making her acquaintance." 
 
 "I was only waiting for my uncle to decide the 
 question." 
 
 " You must at any rate be grateful to him for letting 
 you meet hy chance before your wedding-day," she 
 continued.
 
 170 MY UNCLE BARHASSOU. 
 
 " Oh, dear ! one might think I wanted to marry them 
 at a minute's notice ! " said my uncle at these words. 
 "Just like a woman's exaggerations! Perhaps you 
 would have liked me to have introduced her to him 
 before my last voyage, when she was a lass of fourteen, 
 thin, awkward, and gawkish, as you all are at that 
 age." 
 
 " Thanks ; why don't you say monkeys while you arc 
 about it ? " replied my aunt with a curtsey. 
 
 But my uncle intended to make a speech of it, and 
 continued : 
 
 " ^Mio would have left in his mind the disagreeable 
 recollection of a small, flat, angular creature, with arms 
 like flutes, and hands and feet as long as that ! " 
 
 ** Poor little creature ! I shudder at the thought of 
 it ! However, in your ineffable wisdom, you have 
 fattened her up with mystery." 
 
 *' Ta, ta, ta ! " continued my uncle ; " I have made a 
 fine, healthy, solid young woman of her, v.ho promises 
 to make just the right sort of wife for Andre ! And I 
 maintain, in spite of your ideas on the subject, that I 
 have done well to bring them up at a distance from 
 each other, in order to preserve the freshness of their 
 feelings, and avoid the necessity of that awkward and 
 painful transformation of the affections which is bo 
 difficult for a couple who have gro\vn up together and 
 eaten their bread and butter together as brats in the 
 nursery. To-day they will find each other just as 
 they ought to before they become husband and wife. 
 All the rest of the business must be left to them. If
 
 MY UNCLE BAKBASSOU. 171 
 
 they like each other very much they will make a love- 
 match, if not, a mariage de raison, which is just as 
 good." 
 
 My uncle having concluded thus, it only remained for 
 me to signify my compliance with his wishes. As you 
 may well understand, I awaited with impatience the 
 hour for this first interview, and I was in the drawing- 
 room that evening some time before my fiancee s arrival. 
 My aunt was in the heaven of delight, just like every 
 woman looking forward to a romantic incident, and she 
 did not fail to remark my eagerness. As to the captaiuj 
 like a being superior to such sentimental trifles, he was 
 quietly reading his paper. He was just commencing a 
 political discussion when the servant opened the folding 
 doors and announced : 
 
 '* Madame Saulnier and Mademoiselle Campbell." 
 
 To tell the truth, I must admit that I felt somewhat 
 nervous. A lady of about forty years old came in, 
 accompanied by a young person in a regulation convent 
 dress. I stood up, while my uncle went forward to meet 
 his god-daughter, and kissed her affectionately on the 
 forehead. Then he led me to her by the hand, in a 
 dignified and ceremonious manner, and said without 
 more ado : 
 
 " Anna, this is Andre ! Andre, this is Anna ! Kiss 
 each other ! " 
 
 This form of introduction, with its laconic precision, 
 had at least the advantage that it left no uncertainty 
 between us, and at once indicated to us our proper 
 course of procedure. Too well trained to my uncle's
 
 172 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 habits, I did not hesitate a moment, but kissed my 
 betrothed ; after which I said, ** How do you do ? " 
 which, of course, gave me a nice opportunity of looking 
 at her. 
 
 Anna Campbell is at the present time just seventeen. 
 She is neither short nor tall, thin nor stout — although 
 the great blue ribbon which she wears over her neck, 
 with ii cross suspended from it, already sets o£f the 
 plump outlines of her bosom. She is neither fair nor 
 dark ; her chin is round, her face oval, her nose, mouth, 
 and forehead are all medium- sized, and she has rather 
 pretty blue eyes. Generally speaking, she is more 
 pleasant-looking than handsome, and her features on 
 the whole suggest a very gentle disposition united with 
 good health. My uncle took care to impress upon mo 
 that she will continue to develop, since her feet and 
 hands are still large for her age, and promise a hand- 
 some completion of her growth. 
 
 In short, my lot is far from a disagreeable one — quite 
 the contrary. As my uncle expresses it, "All the 
 symptoms are good." 
 
 Our dinner was a very lively one. Anna Campbell, 
 although rather subdued in my presence, did^ not show 
 any embarrassment. Nothing seemed to be new to her ; 
 her manners and deportment, and everything about her, 
 revealed the familiar assurance of a child of the family 
 who had come to take a holiday there, and felt herself 
 as much at home as I did. I perceived that she knew 
 the house as well as if she had been brought up in it, 
 and I learnt that during the time when I was at college
 
 MY UNCLE BABBASSOU. 173 
 
 she and Madame Saulnier had really lived there for 
 three years. 
 
 The result of all this was that Anna Campbell exhibited 
 a pleasant sort of familiarity with my aunt and uncle 
 which I did not at all expect to see. Brought up away 
 from each other, and without any previous acquaintance, 
 we were now meeting for the first time at this common 
 centre of our affections, which, unknown to us, had 
 united us since our childhood. This was both original 
 and sweet to think of. 
 
 Once, when my uncle asked for the pickles, Anna 
 said : > 
 
 *' They are near Andre." 
 
 When the meal was over we left the dining-room. 
 Following a Russian fashion which my aunt had intro- 
 duced among us, when we entered the drawing-room, I 
 pressed her hand to my lips, while she kissed me on 
 the forehead. Anna did the same ; then, without even 
 appearing to think what she was doing, she quietly 
 held up her two cheeks for me to kiss, and afterwards 
 offered them to her god-father. She then ran to the 
 piano, and sat do"\^Ti to it, while we were taking our 
 coffee. 
 
 " Well, what do you think of her? " my uncle asked 
 me. 
 
 '* She is very nice," I replied. 
 
 " Yes, isn't she ? Just the thing for you, my boy, " 
 he observed, as he stirred his cup, with the tranquillity 
 of a pure conscience. "Go and talk with her," he 
 continued; "you will find she is not stupid."
 
 174 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 I went to sit down by Anna. 
 
 ** Come, play the bass ! " she said, moving aside to 
 make room for me, as if we had often played in duet 
 together before. 
 
 "\Mieu the piece was finished, we talked about her 
 convent, her friends, and the Mother Superior, Sainto 
 Lucie, whom she was much attached to ; and she spoke 
 about everything in a confident tone of familiarity, which 
 showed me that she had often talked of me, and had 
 been used to think of me as an absent brother. The 
 understanding is that, on account of her youth, our 
 betrothal is to remain a family secret, which will only 
 be made public when the right time arrives. 
 
 The evening concluded ^nthout any other special 
 incident. At ten o'clock Anna went home to her con- 
 vent. As she was putting her things on, she held out 
 her hand to me, and said : 
 
 " Good-bye, Andre ! " 
 
 " Good-bye, Anna ! " I replied ; and then my uncle 
 took me away with him to the club, where he sat down 
 to his party at whist. 
 
 While I am on the subject of my uncle, I must tell 
 you about an adventure which he has just had. lie is 
 dead, as you are aware, for I have inherited his pro- 
 perty. This privilege he will not give up, because the 
 registration fees have been paid. The result of this 
 peculiar situation is that he is under certain legal inca- 
 pacities, which, without troubling him more seriously, 
 do nevertheless cause him some annoyance. Three 
 months ago at Ferouzat, he had to renew his gun-license,
 
 JMY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 175 
 
 which he had taken out seven years before ; but as his 
 decease had been formally entered at the prefecture, 
 they would not accept this document, bearing the signa- 
 ture of a defunct person. As you may imagine, he did 
 very well without it, and began to shoot as if nothing 
 had happened ! 
 
 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 farther 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 Kondje-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
 
 176 MY UNCLE BARBA8S0U. 
 
 with the fresh air and freedom which sho was enjoying 
 like an escaped prisoner from the harem, and was ask- 
 ing me questions about everything with that charming 
 simplicity of hers which delights me so much, when wc 
 arrived in front of Diana's Bath, where wc found a group 
 of three young women most brilliantly dressed, two of 
 whom, as I saw at the first glance, were old acquaint- 
 ances 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. \\"ith like discretion, as is usual on 
 such occasions, the women made no movement of recog- 
 nition ; yet they could not help — being struck no doubt 
 with the remarkable beauty of my companion — evincing 
 such evident curiosity, that Koudje-Gul observed it. 
 I, of course, passed without appearing to notice them. 
 Kondje-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 limes." 
 
 " And the young man who was with them also looked 
 at you as if he was one of your friends ; why did not 
 you speak to him ? " 
 
 " For discretion's sake, because you were with me, 
 and he was walking with them."
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 177 
 
 "All! I understand," she said; "no doubt they are 
 the women of his harem ? " 
 
 " Just so," I answered quite coolly, " and, as I have 
 often told you, accordmg to our customs, the harem is 
 always " 
 
 I was trying to think of the right word, when she 
 burst out laughing quite loud. 
 
 " What are you laughing at, you silly thing ? " I 
 asked. 
 
 "1 am laughing at all those stories about your 
 harems which you still make up for me just as you used 
 to do for that idiot Hadidje. I listen to them all, 
 because, — whatever does it matter to me now that I love 
 you ! I prefer the happiness of remaining your slave to 
 that of these women, who have no doubt been your 
 mistresses, and whom you don't even condescend to 
 notice when you meet them." 
 
 " What ? " I exclaimed in astonishment ; " have you 
 got to know so much already, you little humbug, and 
 have concealed it from me ? " 
 
 " After all you have given me to read to form my 
 mind according to your ideas, surely it was natural that 
 I should some day discover the truth ! I only waited 
 for an opportunity of confirming my new knowledge," 
 she continued with a smile. " There are still a lot of 
 things in your country which I cannot understand. 
 But you will teach me them now, won't you?" she 
 added in a coaxing tone. 
 
 " Oh, you young flirt ! It seems to me you know 
 eveiything abeady ! " ^
 
 178 MY TNCLK nARHASSOF. 
 
 " "Why, yes, I feci I know that, for all you mny say, 
 I am still no more than a curious toy in your eyes — a 
 strange creature, like some rare bird that you are rather 
 fond of, perhaps, for her pretty plumage." 
 
 " Ah ! you're right upon the last point at any rate ! " 
 I replied with a laugh. 
 
 ** Yes, sir ! " she continued in a satisfied tone of 
 pride, "I know that I am handsome ! — Now don't laugh 
 at me," she added with a charming reproachful look ; 
 ** what I have to say is quite serious, for it comes from 
 my heart. I was born for a different life, for different 
 sentiments to yours, and I know that I possess none 
 of those qualities which they say make the women of 
 your country so attractive. Their ideas and associations 
 are very different to mine, which you call the supersti- 
 tions of a young barbarian, and which I want to forget 
 in order to learn to understand you and to have no 
 rivals." 
 
 " Are you quite sure that you would not lose by the 
 change?" 
 
 " Thank you," said Kondje-Gul ; " that's what I call 
 a compliment." 
 
 " The fact is," I replied, " the very thing I like about 
 you is that you do not in any way resemble the women 
 whom we have just met." 
 
 " Oh ! " she said, with an indescribable gesture of 
 pride, " it's not those women I envy ! But I see others 
 whom I would like to resemble — in their manners and 
 tone, of course. If yoti'ro a nice fellow, do you know 
 what you will do for rac ? "
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 179 
 
 " What ? " 
 
 " It's a dream, a sclieme wliicli I have been con- 
 tinually thinking over. You won't laugh at mo, will 
 you ? " 
 
 " No. Let's hear your grand scheme." 
 
 " Well, then, if you would like to make me very 
 happy, place me for a few months in one of those con- 
 vents where your young ladies are educated. You would 
 come and see me every day, so that I should not be too 
 dull away from you." 
 
 " That's the queerest idea I have ever heard from you ; 
 fancy a Mahommedan girl at a convent ! " I said, with 
 a laugh. 
 
 I took a great deal of trouble in explaining to her 
 what a fooHsh project this was ; but the result of my 
 attempts at demonstrating the serious obstacles which 
 such ambitious aspirations would encounter, was that in 
 the end I myself entered into her views. The experi- 
 ment might indeed prove a most instructive one. With 
 Kondje-Gul's character, there was an extremely interest- 
 ing psychological experiment before me. I had found 
 her to be endowed with marvellous natural qualities. 
 With her ardour and enthusiasm, what would be the 
 effect upon her simple imagination of a sudden transition 
 from the ideas of the harem to the subtle refinements 
 of our own society ? 
 
 Certainly, I was obliged to admit that such a trial 
 was not without its dangers ; but then, was not Kondje- 
 Gul already aware that the marital yoke which my 
 houris still believed in was only imaginary? And
 
 180 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 
 
 was it not better, such being the case, for mc to com- 
 plete this work of regeneration, the fruits of which I 
 should in the end reap for myself ? 
 
 So I submitted to Koudjc-Gul's wishes, and as soon 
 as we returned to Paris this important matter was 
 settled. 
 
 The next day I began to look for the means of 
 carrying it into execution, a search which was attended, 
 however, with a good many difficulties.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 My uncle is going to send for another of my aunts 
 to come to Paris. 
 
 Well ! what of that ? — My uncle is a Mussulman, 
 you know ; and, being a man of principle, bis duties 
 are more onerous than yours, that's all ! 
 
 My services were required to take a little house at 
 Passy, where she is to live. I wonder whether it is 
 my aunt Gretchen, my aunt Euphrosine, or my aunt 
 Cora ? He has not given me the slightest hint on this 
 point. 
 
 While awaiting this addition to our family, Bar- 
 bassou-Pasha pursues his eccentric career in a manner 
 that beats description. This visit to Paris has brought 
 out more than ever the quaint independence of his 
 character. One is reminded of a man who stands on
 
 182 yiY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 a bridge watching the river flow Lj-, but uow and then 
 takes a header into it to cool himself. The other day 
 at the club, ho lost sixty-three thousand francs to me 
 at baccarat, just for a little distraction. The even- 
 ing after, he was entertaining at our house his late 
 Lieutenant Rabassu, whom ho ahvays speaks of as 
 ** the cause of his death," and who has come here upon 
 some business. He won eleven francs from him at 
 piquet, playing for a franc the hundred points. For 
 the moment I felt quite alarmed for the poor victim ! 
 But my mind was soon set at ease ; for Rabassu, who 
 is used to his captain's play, knows how to cheat as 
 cleverly as his master. Their losses soon balanced each 
 other. 
 
 Putting aside little dissipations of this kind, I should 
 add that "the late Barbassou " is really very steady- 
 going for a man of his temperament. He takes every- 
 thing which comes in the routine of our fashionable life 
 so naturally, that nobody would imagine he had spent 
 several years at the hulks in Turkey. 
 
 My aunt Eudoxia, of whom he stands in wholesome 
 awe, and who keeps him in check, forces him to cultivate 
 tho vanities of this world. Ho escorts her to balls and 
 fetes with all that ceremony with which you are familiar ; 
 and quitting tho lofty regions of his o\\ti philosophical 
 existence, without however permitting anything to dis- 
 turb his self-possession, he goes forth into tho gay 
 and hurried throngs of Paris with as little concern as 
 he would into any village street. In short, ho is in 
 exquisite form, and — but for tho legal disabilities which
 
 MY UNCLE EARBASSOU. 183 
 
 deprive him of his rights of citizenship — you would find 
 him still exactly what he was when you knew him five 
 years ago. 
 
 However, the other day he received a little shock in 
 connection with a very simple incident, which might 
 have been perfectly anticipated. 
 
 We were in my aunt's box at the Opera. The pasha, 
 seated by her side, was listening to a singer who was 
 rather more buxom than elegant ; and he appeared to 
 be calculating what her nett weight would be, after 
 making deduction for her queen's crown and robes of 
 state. After a minute or so, he seemed to have solved 
 this equation and lost all further interest in the problem, 
 for he began to examine the audience. All of a sudden 
 he shouted out, quite forgetting himself, in his Pro- 
 ven9al brogue : 
 
 " Te ! What's that I see ? " 
 
 " Hush ! " said my aunt, nudging him with her elbow, 
 without turning round. 
 
 " But, bagasse ! it's Mohammed ! " he added, in a 
 lower tone. 
 
 It was indeed Mohammed, who attracted some atten- 
 tion as he walked with my houris into their famous box. 
 
 "Well, you're right," replied my aunt. "I recog- 
 nise his charming daughters." 
 
 You may be sure my uncle put up his glasses. When 
 all my people were settled down in their box, he 
 suiTeyed them carefully, interrupting his examination 
 occasionally in order to take a furtive scowl at me. But 
 my aunt's presence kept him quiet. His composure was
 
 184 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 perfect for that matter, except that he seemed extremely 
 puzzled. There were only three of them — that evidently 
 was not the right numher for him. As for me, prudence 
 dictated that I should get out of the way as quickly as pos- 
 sible, leaving him to make what observations he pleased. 
 
 As I was slipping away quietly to the back of the box, 
 I heard my aunt saying : 
 
 ** Are you going to speak to him ? " 
 
 " No ; we have had a quarrel ! " he growled, looking 
 again for me at his side. 
 
 But slam Avent the door, and I was out in the passage, 
 whence I escaped to the back of the scenes and to the 
 green-room. There he joined me during the eyitr'acte. 
 But, as you are aware, " Turks do not discuss harem 
 matters." All I could see clearly was that he was in a 
 fury with me. 
 
 To turn, however, to other things, my perseverance 
 on behalf of Kondje-Gul is at last rewarded with com- 
 plete success. 
 
 After I had spent a whole week in looking about, I 
 found, in the Bcaujon district, an institution for young 
 ladies presided over by a Madame Montier, a kind 
 woman of polished manners. She had suffered a reverse 
 of fortune, which seems to have prepared her for the 
 express purpose of civilizing my Kondje-Gul. There 
 are never more than three or four boarders in the house : 
 at the present moment two American girls, daughters 
 of a commodore who is on a mission to the King of 
 Siam, are finishing their education there. Nqthing 
 could suit my purpose better.
 
 ]VIY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 185 
 
 When tlie time arrived, however, for putting my plan 
 into execution, I must confess that I could not [help 
 feeling considerahle embarrassment. I could certainly 
 have introduced Kondje-Gul as a young foreign lady, 
 prematurely widowed, who was anxious to qualify her- 
 self for French society ; hut I soon found that this 
 would create an unnecessary complication. Decidedly 
 the better course would be for Mahommed to introduce 
 her either as his ward or his daughter. Under any 
 circumstances it was desirable that I should explain to 
 her the necessity of extreme prudence. 
 
 At last, one evening, when I thought she was about 
 to revert to this great object of her ambition, I started 
 the subject myself. 
 
 " I am going to announce an important piece of 
 news," I said to her ; " I have found a convent for you 
 where you can stay pending your mother's arrival." 
 
 "Eeally!" she exclaimed, kissing me. *' Oh, my 
 dear Andre, how kind you are ! " 
 
 "Yes; but I must warn you. This realisation of 
 your dream is only possible at the cost of sacrifices, 
 which will perhaps be hard for you to make." 
 
 " What sacrifices ? Tell me, quick ! " 
 
 " First, assiduous work, and next, the sacrifice of your 
 liberty ; for during the whole time you remain at this 
 establishment, you won't be able to leave the place." 
 
 "What does that matter?" she exclaimed, "pro- 
 vided I can see you every day ! " 
 
 But that's exactly what will be impossible." 
 
 " Why ? " she asked, in her simplicity.
 
 186 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 "Because, according to our customs, bachelors are 
 never admitted into young ladies' schools," I replied, 
 with a laugh. 
 
 " But as I belong to you," she continued, Avith an 
 astonished look, " they will not be surprised at your 
 coming ; are not you my master ? " 
 
 *' This reason, my dear, although a convincing one 
 for you, would constitute the greatest obstacle ; for they 
 must not be allowed on any account to suspect that you 
 are my wife. Mohammed alone will introduce you either 
 as his daughter or as a young lady under his charge, 
 and, for conventional reasons, which you will understand 
 later on, this period of study will be a period of separa- 
 tion for us." 
 
 I then let her know the whole truth about certain of 
 our social conventionalities, concerning which she was 
 still in ignorance. When she learned that our laws 
 declared her free, and the equal of any Frenchwoman, 
 and that I had no longer any rights over her, she looked 
 inexpressibly pained. 
 
 " Good heavens ! " she exclaimed, throwing herself 
 into my arms, ** what do you mean ? Am I free, and 
 my own mistress, and not yours for ever ? " 
 
 "You arc mine, because I love you," I said to her 
 very quickly, seeing her agitation ; ** and so long as you 
 do not want to leave me — " 
 
 *' Leave you ! But what would become of me, then, 
 without you ? " 
 
 And her eyes filled with tears. 
 
 ""VMiat a foolish girl you are!" I replied, quite
 
 Sr? UNCLE BARBASSOU. 187 
 
 touched at lier evident pain ; *'you are exaggerating the 
 significance of my words : your liberty will make no 
 difference in our relations." 
 
 " Why did you tell me this cruel truth, then ? I was 
 so happy in the belief that I was your slave, and in 
 obeying and loving you at the same time." 
 
 " Still it was necessary for me to tell you, as you wish 
 to learn our ideas and customs. Your ignorance was a 
 source of danger, for even your questions might lead to 
 the betrayal of relations which must remain a mystery 
 for the rest of the world, and, above all, in the ' pension,' 
 where you are about to live with companions." 
 
 I had some difficulty in consoling her for this terrible 
 discovery that our laws do not recognise slavery. Never- 
 theless, her desire for further instruction remained very 
 keen. 
 
 Finally, two days afterwards. Mademoiselle Kondje- 
 Gul entered Madame Montier's institution, having been 
 presented by her guardian, the worthy Omer-Eashid- 
 Efifendi, who made all the necessary arrangements 
 with the majestic dignity which he displays on every 
 occasion. 
 
 Although I have kept myself carefully in the back- 
 ground in all this matter, I watch its progress just the 
 same, and superintend everything. Every evening 
 Kondje-Gul writes to her guardian, and I get her letters 
 at once : I can assure you they constitute quite an 
 interesting romance. For a whole week Kondje-Gul, 
 who had been rather overawed at first and astonished 
 at all her new surroundings, seemed to live like one
 
 188 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 dazed. She would not trust herself to speak, fearing to 
 appear uncultivated ; but she observed, aud the results 
 of her observations were most curious. After that I 
 perceived that she was gradually trying her wings ; for 
 when she had been initiated a few days into her new 
 life, she soon abandoned her reserve, and has by this 
 time passed the first step in her emancipation. Her 
 simplicity of character, and her quaint Oriental manners, 
 have secured her some very cordial friendships ; and 
 nothing can be more charming than the accounts she 
 gives me of her devotion for her friends, Maud and 
 Suzanuah Montague, who are the realisation of perfec- 
 tion in her eyes. 
 
 Of course Kondjd-Gul's educational programme, as 
 fixed by me, is confined within very modest limits. 
 It consists of music, history, and a slight aud general 
 acquaintance with literature. But above all she is 
 expected to acquire that indispensable familiarity with 
 our ideas, and those feminine graces and refinements 
 which can only be learnt by contact with women and 
 girls brought up in good society. A few months at 
 Madame Montier's will be sufficient for this purpose, 
 and the cultivation of her mind can be completed later 
 on by private lessons. 
 
 My harem in the Faubourg St. Germain retains its 
 Oriental aspect ; it is a corner of the world described in 
 the " Arabian Nights," where I indulge from time to 
 time, in the midst of Paris, in the distractions of a 
 vizier of Samarcand or Bagdad. There, when the 
 shutters are closed, in my gynceccum (or women's apart-
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 189 
 
 ment), illummated by lamps whicli shed a soft lustre 
 upon us, while the bluish-grey smoke from my narguile 
 perfumes the atmosphere, my houris lull me to sleep to 
 the music of their taraboucks. 
 
 With all this I am not quite so satisfied, as I would 
 have liked to describe myself, with certain incidents 
 which have occurred in connection with my harem. 
 Certainly, they are all the natural consequences of our 
 life in Paris ; for I don't suppose you imagine that I 
 had not foreseen the psychological effect which entirely 
 new ideas would unavoidably produce upon the pro- 
 foundly ignorant minds of my houris. Besides, a pro- 
 gressive and judicious emancipation from their previous 
 restraints formed part of my programme for them. 
 But the introduction into the harem of certain high- 
 class lady's-maids, indispensable for initiating my little 
 animals into the subtle mysteries of Parisian toilets, has 
 of necessity led to their making a number of discoveries, 
 which have contributed in a remarkable degree to their 
 civilization : — hardly, however, in those elements which 
 I could have most desired. They have all of them got 
 to know a great deal more than was necessary for them 
 about those famous " customs of our harems in France," 
 the principles of which I had endeavoured to teach them. 
 Thus I even noticed the other day that I set Zouhra 
 and Xazli lauR-hing when T reminded them of some 
 point of etiquette. Although they are still imbued with 
 the good principles of their native education, it is evident 
 they are being corrupted by the poison of Liberalism. 
 This I am convinced of by certain au-s of assurance
 
 190 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 which they have put on, by their coquetries, and by 
 novel and unexpected caprices which they now display. 
 
 The " Eights of "Woman " have clearly been divulged 
 to them. They talk of walking out by themselves, of 
 visiting the popular theatres and music-halls, and even 
 Mabille, the illuminations of which struck their fancy 
 very much the other night, as we were passing the 
 Avenue Montaigne in the carriage, on our way back from 
 the Bois. One little instance will illustrate the situa- 
 tion for you. Mohammed's rank and titles have ceased 
 to impress them with any respect ; and the day before 
 yesterday Zouhra actually had the impudence to say 
 " Chut ! " to him. 
 
 This expression will clearly indicate to you an asto- 
 nishing progress in the refinements of our language ; 
 but it will also, no doubt, afford you a text upon which 
 to declaim in that cruelly sarcastic style which your 
 Philistine genius revels in. I will, therefore, anticipate 
 you by replying : 
 
 In the first place, that Mohammed does not under- 
 stand French — a fact which considerably diminishes the 
 gravity of Zouhra's disrespect ; 
 
 In the second, that I never doubted but what their 
 
 stay in Paris would open my houris' minds to new ideas ; 
 
 And in the third, that neither did I doubt but what 
 
 they would acquire, in consequence, more precise notions 
 
 upon the extent of their rights. 
 
 Woman, like any other animal susceptible of educa- 
 tion, possesses the most subtle faculties of imitation. 
 Now if, her weak nature being overcome by those impulses
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. IQl 
 
 towards mischief and malice with which she is pecuHarly 
 endowed, she is tempted to commit trivial derelictions 
 of conduct— derelictions which, after all, are but faults 
 of discernment— is there any reason why we should 
 make such a fuss about it ? 
 
 In the midst of the supremely refined existence which 
 my sultanas lead, I seem to discover in these innocent 
 little vagaries a frank simplicity of character, more 
 nearly related to purity of conscience than are the 
 accomplished manners of our most polished coquettes. 
 
 While on this subject I must reply to the sarcasms 
 contained in your last letter. 
 
 Let me tell you first of all that I have never laid 
 claim to the character of a superior being inaccessible 
 to human vanities, as you are trying to make out. I 
 am quite willing to admit with you that I, like any 
 other man, am possessed by "the stupid satisfaction 
 which every man experiences in watching the success 
 of the woman he loves." It is quite possible that the 
 effect produced by my odalisques upon the idle crowd 
 (or as you term it la haute badauderie) of Paris, has 
 suddenly invested them with new charms in my eyes. 
 You say that the mystery with which they are en- 
 shrouded, and the silly conjectures which I hear people 
 make about them as they pass by, have excited me and 
 turned my head like that of a simpleton. 
 
 Well, I suppose you will hardly expect me to 
 account for the human weakness which leads us to 
 measure our own happiness by the degree of envy which 
 it excites in others? Besides, what is the good of
 
 192 MY UNCLE bahbassou. 
 
 sifting my passion or testing my love in a crucible in 
 order to estimate its value ? 
 
 In the midst of my pagan indulgences, you ask mo 
 if I really love, in the usual sense of that word. This 
 very reasonable question was at any rate worth asking, 
 however simple it may seem. It is concerned with the 
 great problem in psychology which I undertook to solve, 
 namely, as to which predominates in love, the heart or 
 the senses, and whether true love is possible when one 
 loves four women at the same time ? 
 
 It is clear that in the restricted limits of our ideas, and 
 under the yoke of our customs and prejudices, we can 
 only conceive of passion as concentrated upon a single 
 object. Too far removed from our primitive origin and 
 from the patriarchal age, and moulded by the influences 
 of more refined customs, our minds have been stimulated 
 to the contemplation of a certain recognized ideal. Still, 
 as moralists and philosophers, we must admit that among 
 Orientals there is, doubtless, another conception and 
 another ideal of love, the character of which we cannot 
 grasp. It is only by divesting ourselves of our moral 
 clogs, or the restraints of our social conventionalities, 
 that we can attain to the understanding of this lofty 
 psychological problem. Indeed, no one has ever been 
 able to say what love consists in. " Attraction of two 
 hearts," say some, and "mutual exchange of fancies; " 
 but these are nothing but words depending upon the 
 particular instance in which they are employed. 
 
 The truth is that we are full of inconsistencies in all 
 our definitions. From a purely sentimental point of
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 193 
 
 view, we start by laying down, as an absolute axiom, 
 that the human heart can only embrace one object of 
 love, and that man can only fall truly in love once in 
 his life. Yet if we abstract from love the distinct 
 element which our senses contribute to it, it is seen to 
 consist of nothing but a form of ajufection — an expansion 
 of the soul analogous to friendship and to paternal 
 or filial love, sentiments equally powerful, but which 
 we recognize the duty of distributing between several 
 objects. 
 
 Whence arises this strange contradiction ? 
 
 Do not declare that it is a paradox, for our ideas on 
 the subject proceed entirely from our education and from 
 the influence of custom upon our minds. If we had 
 been bred on the banks of the Ganges, of the Nile, or 
 of the Hellespont, our school of aesthetics would have 
 been different. The most romantic Turkish or Persian 
 poet could not understand the vain subtleties of our 
 emotions. Since his laws permit him several wives, it 
 is his duty to love them all, and his heart rises to the 
 occasion. Do you mean to tell me that his is a different 
 love to ours ? Upon what grounds ? What do you know 
 about it ? Cannot you understand the charms of the 
 obligation he is under to protect them all, in this equal 
 distribution of his affections ? It comes to this, in fact, 
 that our ideas on the point are simply and always a 
 question of latitude and of climate. We love like j)Oor 
 helpless creatures of circumstances. 
 
 It is these very psychological considerations which 
 form the basis of the social argument which I intend to
 
 194 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 
 
 demonstrate in the important work which I am preparing 
 for the Academy of Science, and which I introduce as 
 follows : — 
 
 "Revered Mother, 
 
 " Amonjr the learned and celebrated members of whom 
 your illustrious Society so justly boasts, the most com- 
 petent have already determined to their satisfaction the 
 general principles which should regulate the study of 
 biologj'. It would be the height of presumption on my 
 part to set up my unworthy opinion against theirs, were 
 it not for the fact that I can adduce, as a justification 
 for doing so, certain data in my own possession which 
 very few, probably, of these highly-respected authorities 
 could have procured under such favourable conditions as 
 I have been enabled to do. As the nephew of a Pasha 
 I have, &c." 
 
 As you perceive, this modest preface is well calculated 
 to soothe the delicate susceptibihties of the Institute. 
 
 The civilization of my Kondje-Gul has become quite 
 the most delightful subject of study for me. It presents 
 a complete romance in itself, and the denial which I have 
 imposed upon myself adds a certain charm to it. I must 
 tell you that her stay with Madame Montier has gradually 
 produced a number of unforeseen complications. Com- 
 modore Montague has returned; one of the conse- 
 quences of which is that the intimacy between the Misses 
 Maud and Suzannah Montague and the ward of worthy 
 Omer-Rashid-Effendi, which has seemed to him a most 
 desirable one, has been so much encouraged that they
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 195 
 
 have become inseparable, and Kondje-Gul has of course 
 been invited by her young friends to entertainments 
 given by their father — invitations which she has been 
 unable to decline for fear, thereby, of arousing suspi- 
 cions. 
 
 Discretion on my part, you will thus perceive, has 
 become more than ever necessary, so long as Kondjd-Gul 
 remains with Madame Montier. Our amorous relations 
 are absolutely reduced to epistolary effusions, and to clan- 
 destine meetings, to bring about which we have recourse 
 to all the stratagems employed by separated lovers. 
 There is a certain piquancy in these adventures which 
 affords us much delight — so true is it that the depriva- 
 tion of a pleasure enhances its value. In the morning 
 Kondje-Gul takes riding-lessons in the Bois with Maud 
 and Suzannah, w^ho are accompanied by their father. I 
 sometimes take a canter that way, in order to watch 
 their party ride by. She looks charming in her riding- 
 habit, and the Montague girls are really very pretty, 
 especially Maud, who has a pert little playful expression 
 which is very fascinating. 
 
 I forgot to tell you that Kondjd-Gul's mother, Murrah- 
 Hanum, has arrived. She is a woman of forty-live, tall, 
 with a distinguished bearing, and rather handsome still. 
 Yet although she has been Europeanized by her resi- 
 dence at the French consul's at Smyrna, and speaks our 
 language almost with fluency, she retains in her manners 
 all the peculiarities of the Circassian and the Asiatic ; 
 she has an easy-going and indolent temperament, and 
 in her large dark eyes you can read the stern resig-
 
 19 G MY UNCLE BARBASSOIT. 
 
 nation of the fatalist races. When she appeared before 
 me, she lavished upon me, in Oriental fashion, the most 
 ardent expressions of devotion. I assured her of my 
 desire to secure to licr a share in all the advantages 
 which I wished to confer upon Koudjti-Gul. She ex- 
 pressed her gratitude with calmness and dignity, and 
 swore to observe towards me the submissive obedience 
 which she owed to her daughter's husband. In short, 
 you can picture the interview for yourself; it was 
 characterized by all the florid eflusiveness of Mahom- 
 medan greetings.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 I don't suppose you will be astonished at a curious 
 encounter which has just taken place. 
 
 I must tell you that in my uncle's character while in 
 Paris, Barbassou-Pasha, General in the Turkish cavalry, 
 predominates over Captain Barbassou the sailor. Ho 
 takes a ride every morning, and I of course accompany 
 him. These are our occasions both for intimate tallis 
 and for discussing serious questions ; and I beg you to 
 understand that my uncle's notions upon the latter are 
 by no means ordinary ones. He adorns such questions 
 with quite original views — views which are certainly not 
 the property of any other mortal known or likely to be 
 known in this world below. He starts a subject for me, 
 and I give him the cue as well as I can. I know of
 
 198 MY UNCLE BARBA8S0U. 
 
 nothing more instructive than to follow his lines of 
 arfTument — ho has a separate one for each subject — 
 upon difiFerent departments of private and political life, 
 judged from his own standpoint. As a legislator I 
 fancy ho would commit radical mistakes; but as a 
 philosopher, I doubt very much if a match could bo 
 found for him, for I don't think that his methods can bo 
 compared with those of any existing school of thought. 
 
 The other morning we went to the forest of Meudon ; 
 my uncle, as a lover of the picturesque, considers that 
 the Bois de Boulogne, with its lake, looks as if it had 
 been taken out of a box of German toys. "We arrived 
 at Villebon, a sort of farm situated in the middle of the 
 forest, with a few fields attached to it. There is a 
 restaurant there, which is much frequented on Sundays 
 during the summer. 
 
 My uncle, enchanted with the place, wanted to stop 
 and take his glass of madeira there. So, leaving our 
 horses in charge of a stable-boy, we went into one of 
 the rooms. At a table at the further end, quite a 
 stylish-looking woman, who looked as if she were out 
 with somebody on the spree, was sitting by herself, 
 finishing a liqueur-ice, with her hat off and lying by her 
 side. Her figure, as viewed from the back, was exqui- 
 site, with graceful and well-set shoulders, an elegantly 
 poised neck with a lovely little dimple on the nape, 
 crowned by a luxuriant chignon, from which emerged 
 a profusion of rebellious tresses . 
 
 " Waiter ! Madeira, please ! " shouted my uncle in 
 his formidable bass voice.
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 199 
 
 At this unexpected explosion, the strange lady jumped 
 up from her chair and looked suddenly round. But 
 directly she saw the captain, she screamed out and 
 fainted away all at once. 
 
 I must do my uncle the justice of admitting that 
 when he noticed the remarkable effect he had produced, 
 he exhibited a slight gesture of surprise ; which, how- 
 ever, soon passed off. Without calling any help, in 
 four strides he reached the lady's side, and supported 
 her against the table, raising up her pretty head which 
 had fallen back, and slapping her hands. Then, having 
 satisfied himself that she had completely lost conscious- 
 ness, he began without any more ado to unfasten her 
 dress, tore open her collar, and, with admirable dexterity, 
 unhooked the upper part of her stays thereby reveal- 
 ing to our gaze two charming globes, imprisoned in 
 lace. 
 
 This spectacle, I avow, might have made any other 
 man pause in his zealous operations, — not so my uncle, 
 however ; he did not think twice about it, but ^ith his 
 usual unconcerned air proceeded to open out the fair 
 one's stays, then took up the water-bottle, and emptied 
 it with one dash into the hollow between her rounded 
 charms. 
 
 A convulsive start, and another scream, indicated 
 immediately the successful effect of this triumphant 
 measure. 
 
 "There!" he said to me, "you see that's all that 
 was needed." 
 
 Just at this moment the gentleman who belonged to
 
 200 MY UNCLE BAIUJASSOU. 
 
 tho lady camo iu. It is hardly necessary to add that 
 when he saw my uncle occupied upon a business so 
 distinctly his own, the new-comer evinced some temper. 
 
 ** Bon Dicu ! " he shouted out as ho rushed forward, 
 " ^^^lat's the meaning of this ? What's the meaning of 
 this ? " 
 
 "Nothing serious!" answered tho pasha. "Your 
 lady has simply been in a swoon, nothing more ; it's all 
 over now ! " 
 
 " But what have you been about, sir ? What do you 
 mean by throwing water like that, right upon people's 
 bosoms — ? " 
 
 " It was all to do you a service," replied this saviour, 
 quite composedly. 
 
 The lady, for her part, looked as if she was going off 
 in another fit, but my uncle, judging no doubt that he 
 had fulfilled his part of the duties, and without troubling 
 himself any further about the mingled alarms and stares 
 of the people of the house who came up, made one of 
 his ceremonious bows to the whole company, and took 
 me away with him, saying, 
 
 " Come, let us drink our madeira." 
 
 So we went out. 
 
 Being accustomed to Barbassou-Pasha's ways, I was 
 certainly not surprised at such a trifle as this. The 
 waiter having served us, ten minutes had elapsed, and 
 while wo were discussing the irreparable loss of the 
 Xerez and Douro vines, all of a sudden the door opened. 
 It was the lady's cavalier, and ho came iu raging like a 
 stoim.
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 201 
 
 "Bagasse ! " he exclaimed with a furious look, and his 
 hair bristling up like a porcupine. ** But you won't get 
 off quite so easily as that, sir ! Who ever heard of such 
 a thing? Undressing a defenceless woman like that, 
 and quite a stranger too ! ! Not to mention that you 
 have spoilt her dress, which looks as if she had been 
 under the pump ! " 
 
 His words rolled on like a torrent, in the purest 
 Provencal accent. This made my uncle smile, as if at 
 some pleasant reminiscence ; and putting on his most 
 engaging expression, he asked the new-comer in a gentle 
 tone of voice : 
 
 ** What are you to this lady ? " 
 
 *' She is my sister-in-law, sir ! " he replied in a fury, 
 his voice swelling louder and louder : " She is my 
 brother's wife, sir ; and he's no fool, no more am I, 
 
 sir ! Twenty-one years of service, eleven campaigns, 
 
 and sub-lieutenant of the Customs at Toulon, sir ! 
 
 So you shall just let me know how it was my sister-in- 
 law fainted through your fault ; and what you meant by 
 taking the liberty of exposing her in a way that no 
 decent man would be guilty of, not even with the 
 consent of her family, nor if she were in mortal danger 
 of her life, sir! " 
 
 " And where do j^ou live ? " continued my uncle, sip- 
 ping his madeira, and still fixing upon the fair one's 
 brother-in-law the same charming gaze. 
 
 " Hotel des Bouches-du-Khone, Eue Pagevin. I am 
 escorting my sister-in-law, and I am responsible for her 
 to her husband."
 
 202 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 " My compliments to you, sir ! She is a charming 
 young person." 
 
 This magnificent composure of my uncle's so com- 
 pletely disconcerted the lieutenant of the Customs that 
 he stopped short. But he had been carried on too far 
 by his hot meridional temper not to launch out again very 
 soon. He followed up with a perfect flood of abuse, inter- 
 larded with the most approved insults, with violent epi- 
 thets and noisy oaths. My uncle listened to him quietly, 
 stroking his chin, and contemplating him as if watching 
 the performance of some surprising feat. The Toulon- 
 nais said that he considered this fainting fit of his 
 sister-in-law's, and the very unceremonious proceedings 
 which had followed it, equally suspicious and irregu- 
 lar. 
 
 " My brother's honour has been outraged," and so on, 
 he observed. 
 
 But at last the good fellow was obliged to pause in 
 order to take breath. Barbassou-Pasha took advantage 
 of the opening. 
 
 " Pray what is your name?" he asked, still smiling 
 affably. 
 
 "My name, my good man," loftily replied the man of 
 Toulon, " is Firmin Bonaffe, lieutenant in the Customs, 
 seen twenty-one years of service and eleven campaigns. 
 And if that is not enough for you " 
 
 " AMiy, dear me ! then this charming young person 
 has married your brother, has she ? " 
 
 " A week ago, sir, at Cadiz, where she lives ! It was 
 because he had to go back over the sea to Brazil that ho
 
 Sry UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 203 
 
 confided her to my charge. And you must not imagine 
 that I can let your outrageous behaviour to her pass 
 without further notice, sir ! " 
 
 ** You are a man of spirit, sir, that I can see ! " replied 
 my uncle. He was gradually falling into his native 
 assent, charmed, no doubt, by the soothing example of 
 his adversary. " I can understand your feelings," ho 
 continued; " and for my part, my good fellow, I confess 
 I should not have the slightest objection to taking a 
 sabre and slicing off a piece of your person." [He 
 uttered this latter word, individu, in French, with the 
 Marseillais pronunciation, inndividu.] " Indeed," he 
 continued quite placidly, " I should have no objection 
 to throwing you through the window here, just as you 
 are." 
 
 This, following upon his imperturbable coolness 
 throughout, had, I can aver, a most aggravating effect. 
 Being a little man and a braggart, Firmin Bonaffe felt 
 the insult all the more hotly. 
 
 " Throw me through the window ? Me ! " he ex- 
 claimed, drawing himself up as if he wanted to touch 
 the sky. ** Try then ! Just try ! " 
 
 " By-and-by," said my uncle, pacifying him with a 
 good-humoured gesture ; " but for the present let us 
 have a talk, my good fellow ! Certainly I sympathise 
 with your annoyance ; for you must have perceived that 
 I know this lady, and that she knows me. There has 
 even been a little liaison between us " 
 
 " Bagasse ! You confess to it, then ? " 
 
 " I confess to it ! " responded the captain, in a con-
 
 204 MT UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 cilia tory manner. " But, my dear fellow, a brother's 
 horns, as the saying goes, need not trouble one so much 
 as one's own. You will of course agree with me on that 
 point." 
 
 ** I agree with you there ! " replied the Toulonuais, 
 quite gravely, as if struck by a specious argument. 
 " But it does not follow from that " 
 
 " Stop a moment ! " interrupted my uncle, who wished 
 to pursue his argument. " I, whom you see here, have 
 also had the honour of being made a cuckold, as they 
 say in Moliere. You are acquainted with Moliere, I 
 dare say?" 
 
 " I am ; go on ! " said the lieutenant, who had made 
 up his mind to restrain himself while my uncle was 
 developing his explanations. 
 
 " Very well ! as you have read him, you ought to 
 know that a misadventure like that is not such a great 
 matter after all. A second or two and it is all over, 
 just like havmg a tooth out. Besides, remember this, 
 the tooth cannot be replaced, while in the case of a 
 woman, one can find plenty to take her place." 
 
 ** That's true ! " returned Firmiu BouaHe, who opened 
 his eyes wide, as if he wished to follow this chain of 
 reasoning, which evidently astonished him by its per- 
 spicuity. 
 
 The issue began to be cleared. 
 
 " Then we have arrived at the same opinion," con- 
 tinued Barbassou Pasha. ** All that remains is to come 
 to an understanding." 
 
 ** By no means ! by no means ! I repeat, my brother
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 205 
 
 confided his wife to my charge. You have insulted her 
 in public, and in the name of decency — " 
 
 "Oh, no!" interrupted my uncle; "you are exaggera- 
 ting ! In the first place, my nephew and I were the 
 only persons present ; therefore there was no very great 
 harm done. Then you brought the people up by your 
 shouting ; consequently it is I who have cause to com- 
 plain." 
 
 " Te ! Are you trying to make a fool of me ? " 
 exclaimed the Toulonnais, bursting out upon us like a 
 bomb with another explosion. " Do you suppose, then, 
 that I am going down on my knees to thank you for 
 having undressed Jean Bonafi'e's wife ? " 
 
 " Jean Bonafi'e's wife ? No, no, my good fellow ! " 
 briefly replied my uncle. 
 
 " Why ' No ' ? " 
 
 "Why, in the first place, because she is actually mj* 
 own wife ! " 
 
 "Yours?" 
 
 "As I have the pleasure of informing you. And 
 consequently it is I who would be entitled not to be at 
 all pleased by your intervention in the little domestic 
 occurrence which took place just now." 
 
 The Toulonnais, for the moment, was struck dumb 
 with astonishment. 
 
 " Then, bagasse/ who are you ? " he asked. 
 
 ^' The late Barbassou, retired general, seen fifty years 
 of service, and thirty-nine campaigns, and the husband 
 of your sister-in-law, who is now a bigamist — rather an 
 awkward mistake for a lady."
 
 206 MY UNCLE BARBASSOF. 
 
 My undo might bavo gone on speaking for the rest 
 of tho day, and had it all his own way. The unfortu- 
 nate lieutenant stared at him, crushed and dumbfounded 
 by this astounding revelation. All at once, and without 
 waiting to hear any more, he turned on his heels, and 
 beat a precipitate retreat by the door. 
 
 The late Barbassou indulged in a smile at this very 
 intelligible discomfiture of his adversary. He had 
 finished his madeira, and we went out to get our horses 
 again. 
 
 Directly he had mounted into the saddle, he said to 
 me, reverting to the subject of our interrupted conver- 
 sation : 
 
 " Do you know, I think it's all up with the Madeira 
 vines ; but as to those of the Douro, with careful graft- 
 ing, we might still pull them through ! " 
 
 *' I hope so, uncle ! " I replied. 
 
 And, as a matter of fact, I think he is right. Perhaps 
 we shall soon know. 
 
 Come, I must tell you about a new occurrence which 
 is already influencing my romance in the most un- 
 expected manner. 
 
 I don't suppose you have forgotten our Captain Pick- 
 lock and the famous story of the camels which were 
 recovered through his good offices. Well, the captain, 
 having returned from Aden with tho fever, and being at 
 Paris on his way home, accepted the hospitality of Baron 
 de Villeneuve, late consul at Pondicherry, whom you 
 know. Two days ago we were invited to a farewell
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 207 
 
 dinner, given in his honour. It was quite a love-feast : 
 half a dozen friends, all of whom had been several times 
 round the world, and had met each other in various 
 latitudes. The ladies consisted of the amiable Baroness 
 de Villeneuve, Mrs. Picklock, and my aunt. You may 
 imagine what a number of old recollections they dis- 
 cussed during dinner. After the coffee we went into 
 the drawing-room, where a card-table was being set out 
 for whist, when my uncle said : 
 
 "By the bye, what has become of our good friend 
 Montague ? " 
 
 " Oh, Montague," answered the baron ; "he is in 
 Paris. He has been prevented from dining with us by 
 an invitation to his ambassador's ; but he will look in 
 this evening, and you will see him." 
 
 " Ah, that's capital ! " exclaimed my uncle ; "I shall 
 be delighted to see him again." 
 
 When I heard this name mentioned, I pricked up my 
 ears. Still there was nothing to indicate that the 
 Montague spoken of was the commodore. I listened 
 with curiosity. 
 
 "Will he stay in Paris any length of time?" my 
 uncle continued. 
 
 " The whole winter," replied the baroness. " He has 
 come to pick up his daughters, whom he had left in my 
 charge two years ago, before he went off to the North 
 Pole." 
 
 " Ah, yes ! little Maud and Suzannah," observed my 
 uncle. 
 
 " Yes, captain ; only your little Maud and Suzannah 
 
 M 2
 
 208 MY UNCLE BARBASSOr. 
 
 arc now grown-up young ladies," added the baroness 
 with a laugh. 
 
 It was impossible for me to entertain any more 
 doubts ; and I confess my mind was far from easy when 
 I heard this. At the thought of meeting the commo- 
 dore, my first idea was to get away at once, before he 
 arrived. Although I was confident of the perfect 
 security of my secret, and although it was the merest 
 chance that had brought about the intimacy which I 
 could not have foreseen between Kondje-Gul and his 
 daughters, I could not conceal from myself the em- 
 barassment which I should feel in his presence. As 
 bad luck would have it, I was already seated at the 
 card-table. I lost ray tricks as fast as I could in order 
 to shorten the game, swearing inwardly at the captain 
 and my uncle, who were both of them playing with a 
 provoking deliberation, and lecturing me upon my 
 careless play. At last, having succeeded in losing my 
 three rubbers, I got up from the table, alleging a sudden 
 attack of head-ache, when at this very moment, in the 
 next drawing-room where the baroness was sitting, the 
 servant announced, 
 
 " Commodore Montague ! " 
 
 Just imagine my stupefaction, Louis, when I saw the 
 commodore come in, followed by his two daughters and 
 Kondje-Gul, whom he introduced to the baroness and to 
 my aunt as a schoolfellow of his daughters, Maud and 
 Suzannah ! 
 
 You may guess what a state of confusion I was thrown 
 into by this spectacle. "Whatever would happen ? My
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 209 
 
 chances of retreat being now completely cut off, I with- 
 drew myself to the midst of a group who were talking 
 together in a corner of the room. Kondj^-Gul was 
 listening timidly to the baroness's compliments, and I 
 heard the latter say : 
 
 *'I am much indebted, mademoiselle, to our friend 
 the commodore who has done us the favour of bringing 
 you with him ; Maud and Suzannah had already spoken 
 to me so often about you, that I had a great desire to 
 make your acquaintance." 
 
 The striking beauty of the young foreigner had 
 created quite a sensation, and feeling that all their 
 eyes were fixed on her, she did not venture to look 
 about her. Still it was necessary to anticipate the 
 dangerous consequences of the least imprudence on the 
 part of either of us, by putting her on her guard before 
 the baroness had the opportunity of introducing me to 
 
 the commodore and his daughters. By rather a 
 
 clever manoeuvre, therefore, I managed to slip behind 
 my aunt while she was talking to the American young 
 ladies. 
 
 When Kondjd-Gul saw me, she could not help giving 
 a start of surprise, but I had time to put my finger to 
 my lips, and signify to her that she must not show that 
 she knew me. Our encounters in the Bois, during our 
 morning rides, had fortunately trained her already for 
 this necessary piece of dissimulation : and she had 
 sufficient self-control not to betray our secret. My 
 aunt turned round at that very moment, and seeing me 
 standing by her chair, said to me :
 
 210 MY UNCLE BARBASeOU. 
 
 " Oh, Andr^, como and let me introduce you to this 
 young lady ! " 
 
 Kondj^-Gul blushed when I bowed to her, and re- 
 turned my bow very prettily. I was introduced in the 
 same way to the commodore and his daughters. There 
 was a vacant chair close to them on which the baroness 
 made me sit down, and I soon found myself engaged in 
 a general conversation with them ; I may add that the 
 liveliness of the Montague girls rendered our conversa- 
 tion much easier than I had expected. Having been 
 brought up in the American way, they possessed that 
 youthful independence of spirit which is stifled in our 
 own girls by a more strict and formal education, 
 on the false ground of the requirements of modesty. 
 Kondje-Gul, although rather reserved at first, expanded 
 gradually, and I was astonished at the change which 
 had been effected in her whole bearing. Certainly one 
 could still guess that she was a foreigner, but she had 
 acquired quite a new ease in her deportment and in her 
 language. Being reassured by her behaviour against 
 the risks of this encounter, which I had at first so much 
 dreaded, I freely accepted the peculiar position in which 
 I was placed. There was a positive charm about this 
 mystery, the pleasure of which I can hardly explain to 
 you. 
 
 Although this was quite a small and friendly party, 
 there were now enough young people to get up a "hop," 
 so the baroness instructed me to lead off with Miss 
 Suzannah, which I did very willingly, asking her for a 
 polka.
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 211 
 
 "What do you think of my friend Kondje-Gul ? " she 
 Baid to me, when we sat down after a few turns. 
 
 " She is remarkably pretty," I replied. 
 
 " I suppose you'll ask her for a dance with you ? " 
 she continued, with a smile. 
 
 " I shall certainly not fail in this duty to a friend of 
 yours and Miss Maud's ! " 
 
 " Miss Maud and I thank you very much for the 
 attention," she said, with a ceremonious bow ; " only," 
 she added, smiling maliciously at me, "I must prepare 
 you for a disappointment, which you will, no doubt, feel 
 very much afflicted by — our friend does not dance ! " 
 
 " What, never ? " 
 
 ** We have given several little parties at my father's 
 rooms, and have never been able to persuade her to." 
 
 "Ah! that's no doubt because she only knows her 
 oriental dances." 
 
 "You're quite wrong there ! She has taken lessons 
 just as we have, and waltzes splendidly ; but she won't 
 even dance with the professor ; it's always Maud or I 
 who act as her partners. She has some principles on 
 this subject which appear to be rooted in her, and which 
 we have not yet succeeded in overcoming." 
 
 " If you would help me this evening," I said, "perhaps 
 we can succeed between us." 
 
 " What, is it to be a conspiracy ? " 
 
 " Quite a friendly one, for you must admit that it is 
 for her own interest." 
 
 " I won't deny it," she replied, with a laugh ; "but 
 how are we to force her ? "
 
 212 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 Then I noticed poor Kondje-Gul, who was watching 
 us, and seemed to envy us. 
 
 ** Listen ! " I said, as if a sudden idea had struck mo. 
 ** I know of a likely way." 
 
 "Weir?" 
 
 " Let us take my aunt into our confidence ; I see 
 them over there talking Turkish together. My aunt 
 will perhaps be able to exercise sufficient influence over 
 your friend to convince her that she may conform to our 
 usages without committing any offence." 
 
 *' Yes, that's the way to manage it ! " exclaimed Miss 
 Suzannah, in delight. " Our conspiracy is making pro- 
 gress ; but how shall. wc get at your aunt ? " 
 
 ** Does Mademoiselle Kondje-Gul understand Eng- 
 lish?" I asked her. 
 
 ** No, not a word." 
 
 " Then it's a very simple matter," I added. "After 
 this polka I'll take you back to your seat ; you then 
 communicate our scheme to my aunt in English, and 
 ask for her assistance ; I come up, as if by chance, and 
 try my luck with her for the next waltz." 
 
 Wc did as we said. I watched from the distance this 
 important conference, all the details of which I guessed. 
 While Miss Suzannah was addressing my aunt in 
 English, I saw her laugh in a sly manner, casting a 
 glance at me. She at once understood our request; 
 then turned her attention again to Kondje-Gul, and 
 continued, quite undisturbed, the subject which she had 
 last commenced talking about with her. I had so 
 perfectly anticipated all the phases of this scene, that I
 
 MY UNCLE BARBA.SSOU. 213 
 
 seemed to hear what she said. By Kondje-Gul's face 
 I could tell the moment my aunt approached her on our 
 subject, and the negative gesture with which she replied 
 was so decisive — I was nearly saying so full of horror — 
 that, fearing lest she should cut off her retreat com- 
 pletely, I deemed it advisable to intervene as quickly as 
 possible. 
 
 I advanced, therefore, without any more ado, joined 
 their group, and addressing myself to the handsome 
 young foreigner, I said to her : 
 
 ** I should not like you to think me indifferent to the 
 pleasure of dancing with you, mademoiselle ; I meant 
 to have asked you for the first waltz ; but, alas ! Miss 
 Suzannah tells me that you do not dance ! " 
 
 "You have come to the rescue, Andre," chimed in 
 my aunt. " I was just endeavouring to convert the 
 young lady to our customs by telling her that she would 
 be taken for a little savage." 
 
 At this expression, which she had so often heard me 
 utter, Kondje-Gul smiled and cast a furtive glance at 
 me. Miss Suzannah supported my aunt, and the victory 
 was already won. They were beginning to play a waltz, 
 so Maud took her hand and forced it into mine ; I 
 clasped her by the waist and led her off. During the 
 first few turns Kondje-Gul trembled with excitement ; 
 I felt her heart beating violently against my bosom, and 
 I confess I was nearly losing my own self-possession. 
 Once we found ourselves some way removed from the 
 rest, and, with her head resting on my shoulder, she 
 whispered in my ear :
 
 214 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 " Do you still love mo, dear? Arc you satisfied with 
 me?" 
 
 " Yes, but take care ! " I answered hurriedly : ** you 
 arc too beautiful, and all their eyes are fixed upon us." 
 
 ** If they only knew ! " she added, with a laugh. 
 
 I stopped a moment, to let her take breath. Each 
 time any couple came near us, we appeared to be 
 engaged in one of those ball-room conversations the 
 only characteristic of which is their frivolity, and as 
 soon as they were out of hearing, we talked together in 
 a low voice. 
 
 "You naughty fellow," she said, " I have not seen 
 you in the Bois for three days ! " 
 
 " It was from motives of prudence," I replied. " And 
 now prepare yourself for a surprise. Your new house 
 is ready and you can go there the day after to morrow." 
 
 " Do you really mean it ? " exclaimed she, " Oh ! 
 what happiness ! Then you find me sufficiently Euro- 
 peanizcd? " 
 
 " You coquette ! you are adorable ! "What a nice 
 
 fan you have, mademoiselle ! " added I, changing my 
 manner as Maud came close to us. 
 
 " Do you think so " she answered, ** Is it Chinese or 
 Japanese?" 
 
 Maud having passed we resumed our conversation, 
 overjoyed at the idea of constantly seeing each other 
 again. The waltz was just ending and I was obliged to 
 conduct Kondje-Gul back to my aunt. 
 
 "Listen!" she remarked, "whenever I put my fan 
 up to my lips, that will mean * I love you ' You must
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 215 
 
 come back soon to invito me for another dance, won't 
 you ? " 
 
 "My dear girl, I can't." 
 
 " Why ? " 
 
 " Because it is not usual, and would be remarked," 
 I replied. 
 
 ** But I don't want to dance with anyone else ! " 
 she said, almost with a terrified look. 
 
 I had not for once thought of this very natural con- 
 sequence of our little adventure, and I must confess that 
 the idea of anyone else asking her after me took me 
 quite by surprise — like some improbability which no 
 mortal could conceive. 
 
 " What shall I do ? " she said. 
 
 It was necessary at all costs to repair the effects of 
 our imprudence. I invented for her a sudden indis- 
 position, a dizziness which obliged her to leave off 
 waltzing, and I conducted her back to my aunt. This 
 pretext would be sufficient to justify her in dcchning to 
 dance for the rest of the evening. 
 
 I know very well, my dear fellow, that you will cry 
 out against me when I tell you of this strange feeling 
 which pierced me suddenly like a thorn in the heart, at 
 the notion of seeing Kondje-Gul dance with another 
 man. But how could I help it ? 
 
 I simply relate to you a psychological fact and 
 nothing more. 
 
 You may tell me, if you like, that this is a ridiculous 
 exaggeration, and that I am giving myself the morose
 
 216 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 airs of a jealous sultan. The truth is that in my 
 harem life, I have contracted prudish alarms and real 
 Busceptibilitics which are excited by things which 
 would not have affected me formerly. Contact with 
 the outside world will, no doubt, restore me to the calm 
 frame of mind enjoyed by every good husband. Perhaps 
 some day I may even be able to feel pride as I watch my 
 wife with naked arms and shoulders whirling round the 
 room in the amorous embrace of a hussar. At present 
 my temper is less complaisant : my love is a master's 
 love, and the notion that any man could venture to press 
 my Kondje-Gul's little finger would be enough to throw 
 me into a fit of rage. That's what we Orientals arc 
 like, you know ! 
 
 However that be, I led Kondje-Gul back to my aunt's 
 side, and she did not dance any more. 
 
 From a corner of the drawing-room I saw some half-a- 
 dozen of my friends march up to get introduced to her, 
 anxiously longing to obtain the same favour as I had, 
 and I laughed at their discomfiture. 
 
 Meanwhile the commodore, who, by the way, is a 
 highly educated and thoroughly good-natured man, had 
 marked me out, and was so kind in his attentions to me, 
 that I felt constrained, in spite of my scruples, to accept 
 his advances. His relations with my uncle, moreover, 
 might have made the cold reserve which I had so far 
 maintained appear singular. Finally, towards the middle 
 of the entertainment, when he was going away with his 
 daughters and Kondje-Gul, whom he had to see homo 
 to Madame Mon tier's, I had, without meaning it, so
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 217 
 
 completely won bis good opinion, that I found myself 
 invited to accompany my aunt who was dining with him 
 the next day but one. 
 
 Although it was only a fatality that bad led to this 
 extraordinary complication, I must ovm that, when I 
 began to think over it and to contemplate the possible 
 consequences, I felt a considerable anxiety. Hitherto, 
 by a compromise with conscience, which Kondje-Gul's 
 childlike simplicity rendered almost excusable, I had 
 been enabled to deceive myself about the consequences 
 of this school-friendship with two American girls who 
 were strangers to me. This, I thought, would never be 
 more than a chance companionship, and when her time 
 with them was over, the Misses Maud and Suzannah 
 would remain ignorant of her real position, which they 
 had no occasion for suspecting. But I could not fail to 
 perceive that our relations with the commodore must 
 aggravate our difficulties to a remarkable extent. 
 
 Our society affords shelter, certainly, to many a 
 hidden romance : we have both honest loves and shady 
 intrigues confused and interlaced in its mazes so that 
 they escape all notice. Yet, certain as I felt that 
 nothing could occur to betray our extraordinary secret, I 
 was troubled all the same at the part which I should 
 have to play in this family with which my uncle was 
 on such intimate terms. 
 
 Placed face to face with the inexorable logic of facts, 
 I could not long deceive myself as to the course which 
 the most elementary sense of delicacy prescribed to me. 
 I could see clearly during this last evening party,
 
 218 
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 that Kondje-Gul bad no further need of ^Madame 
 Moutier's lessons to complete her social education. 
 Count Teral's house being now ready to receive her, I 
 need only settle her there with her mother in order to 
 commence at once the happy life of which wc had so 
 often dreamed. Then it would be easy to withdraw 
 gradually from the society of the Montague girls, and 
 thus banish all future risks. 
 
 Having decided upon this course, I wrote the same 
 evening to Kondje-Gul to ask her to prepare for 
 her return.
 
 ■ 3.- ♦ ^' i^'^-A 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 You know, my dear Louis, that whenever I have 
 formed any plan, whether a reckless one or even a wise 
 one, I go straight at it with the stuhbornness of a mule. 
 This, perhaps, explains many of my follies. According 
 to my view (as a believer in free-\^•ill), man is himself 
 a will or independent power served by his organs ; he is 
 a kind of manifestation of the spirit of nature created to 
 control matter. Any man who abdicates his rights, or 
 gives way before obstacles, abandons his mission and 
 returns to the rank of the beasts. His is a lost power, 
 which has evaporated into space. Such is my opinion. 
 This highly philosophical prelude was necessary, as 
 you will see, in order to fix my principles before pro-
 
 220 MY UNCLE BAKBASSOU. 
 
 ceediug any further ; and, above all, in order to defend 
 myself beforehand against any rash accusation of licklo- 
 ness in my plans. Science has mysterious paths, along 
 which wo feel our way, without seeing clearly our desti- 
 nation. The consequence of which is that, just when wo 
 fancy that we have reached the end, new and immense 
 horizons open out before us. 
 
 But I am getting tired of my metaphor. 
 
 It all amouuts to this — that having the honour of 
 being my uncle's nephew, nothing happens to me in the 
 same way as to other mortals, and that consequently 
 all the careful arrangements that I made in regard to 
 Kondje-Gul have eventuated in a manner completely 
 opposed to my express intentions. But although my 
 objective has been considerably enlarged, it remains 
 substantially the same, as I think you will remark. 
 
 Kondje-Gul and her mother are now settled down in 
 Count Teral's house ; and it is hardly necessary for me 
 to describe to you the joy which she felt at the termina- 
 tion of her educational seclusion. The first few days 
 after her return were days of frenzied delight, and we 
 spent them almost entirely together. Her metamor- 
 phosis was now so complete, that I felt as if I were 
 witnessing one of the fabulous Indian avatai's, and that 
 another soul had taken up its dwelling in this divinely 
 beautiful body of hers. I could not tire of watching her 
 as she walked, and listening to her as she spoke. In 
 her Oriental costume, which she occasionally resumes, 
 in order to please me, the American girl's ways, which 
 she has picked up from Suzannah and Maud, produce a
 
 Jry UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 221 
 
 most remarkable effect. And with all this was mingled 
 that exquisitely blended aroma of youth, beauty, 
 and dignity, which permeated her and surrounded 
 her Hke the sweet perfume of some strange Oriental 
 blossom ! 
 
 We have settled our plan of life. Knowing the whole 
 truth, as she does now, about our social habits, she 
 understands the necessity of veiling our happiness under 
 the most profound mystery. Confiding in the sanctity 
 of a tie which her religion legitimizes, she is aware 
 that we must conceal it from the eyes of the world, Hke 
 any secret marriage. Besides, what advantage would 
 there be in lifting the veil of mystery, and taking the 
 poetry out of this romantic union — thus reducing it to 
 the vulgar level of an ordinary intrigue ? If I were to 
 treat my Kondje like a common mistress, would not that 
 be degrading her ? 
 
 When I tried to console her for the dulness which 
 this constraint must cause her, she exclaimed, with 
 vehemence — 
 
 " Be so good as not to calumniate my woman's heart ! 
 What do I care for your country, and its laws, so long 
 as you love me? I don't care to know either your 
 society, or its customs, or its conventionalities. I belong 
 to you, and I love you ; that is all I see, all I feel. I 
 am neither your wife, nor your mistress. From the 
 depths of my soul I feel that I am more than either. 
 I am your slave, and I 'O'ish to preserve my bonds. 
 Command me, do what you Hke with me ; and when 
 you love me no longer, kiU me, that's all ! "
 
 222 :\1Y UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 " Yes, dear ! " I replied, laughing at her rhapsodies, 
 " I will sew you up in a sack, and go and throw you in 
 the Bosphorus some evening ! " 
 
 She received this remark with a peal of childish 
 laughter. 
 
 " Goodness mo ! " she said, in her confusion ; " why, 
 I was quite forgetting that I am civilised ! " 
 
 Count Teral's house has been quite a find for us ; it 
 seems just as if it had been built expressly for Koudje- 
 Gul and her mother. On the ground-floor, approached 
 by a short flight of eight steps, is a drawing-room, which 
 opens into a sort of hall, resembling an artist's studio. 
 The latter serves as picture-gallery, library, and con- 
 cert-room. Above the wainscoting the eye is relieved 
 by silk hangings, of a largo grey-striped pattern on 
 white ground, in contrast with which is the rich garnet 
 of a velvet-covered suite of furniture. There are some 
 curious old cabinets in carved ebony, set out with 
 statuettes, vases, flowers, and nick-nacks. The general 
 effect is lively, enchanting, and luxurious ; in fact, just 
 what the home of a young lady of patrician birth, who 
 confines herself to a small circle of friends, should be. 
 On the first floor arc the private apartments, and on the 
 second the servants' rooms. The establishment is main- 
 tained on the elegant, yet simple scale, which seems 
 proper for members of good society ; they keep three 
 horses, and a neat brougham : nothing more. Their 
 luxuries, in short, arc all in the well-considered style 
 suitable for a rich foreign lady and her daughter, who 
 mix in Parisian society with the reserve and delicate
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 223 
 
 taste of two women anxious to avoid attracting too much 
 attention. 
 
 Kondje-Gul's private life is contrived, as well as 
 everything else, to preserve her against solitude or dul- 
 ness. She is completmg her "civilisation" with in- 
 dustrious zeal. Every morning, from eight o'clock to 
 twelve, is devoted to work ; governesses from Madame 
 Montier's come to continue her course of lessons ; then 
 from one to two she practises on the piano. Her curious 
 mind, with its mixture of ardent imagination and youth- 
 ful intelligence, is really producing a wonderful intel- 
 lectual structure upon its original foundation of native 
 belief and superstitions. I am often quite surprised by 
 hearing her display, on the subject of our social con- 
 tradictions, an amount of observation and a grasp of 
 view which would do credit to a philosopher. 
 
 After two o'clock she dresses, and takes a walk or a 
 ride, or makes calls with her friends, the Montague 
 girls ; for in spite of all my excellent intentions, their 
 intimacy has only increased since they were all emanci- 
 pated from the restraints of school life. Kondje-Gul 
 being now under her mother's protection, the most 
 regular position she could have in the world, it would 
 have been difficult indeed to find a pretext for breaking 
 it off. Moreover, I had come to the conclusion that, 
 owing to my having been introduced to the commodore's 
 family by my uncle, there could be no danger in these 
 encounters with Kondje-Gul at their house. It was by 
 Maud and Suzannah that I had been presented to their 
 fair foreign companion, and who would suspect it was
 
 224 »nr uncle barbassou. 
 
 not at Madame de Yilleucuvc's party that I bad first 
 spoken to her ? Consequently, if any unforeseen cir- 
 cumstance should some day betray our secret, I could 
 at least rest assured that Commodore Montague would 
 never think of accusing me of anything more than a 
 romantic adventure, resulting by a natural train of 
 circumstances from that introduction. 
 
 Nothing, as you perceive, could be more correct from 
 the worldly point of view. I am well aware that as a 
 rigid moraHst you would not neglect the opportunity, if 
 I gave it you, of lecturing me upon the rashness of my 
 course. Well, for my part, I maintain that our respect 
 for the proprieties consists chiefly in our respect for our- 
 selves. Chance, which led us into the society of the 
 foreign colony, together with Kondje-Gul's charming 
 manner, have naturally created for her a number of 
 pleasant acquaintances, which I should never perhaps 
 have aimed at obtaining for her. All that Avas needed to 
 secure her this advantage was that we should both pay to 
 the world this tribute of mystery to which it is entitled. 
 Our society is so mixed that I do not think you would 
 have been scandalised if you had met Kondje-Gul at the 
 ball at the British Embassy, where she went the other 
 night with her mother, and Commodore Montague. 
 The admiration which she excited as she passed must 
 certainly have disarmed your objections. 
 
 Being always about with the Montague girls, Kondje- 
 Gul soon got invited with them to the balls to which 
 the commodore took his daughters. Having been 
 admitted to two or three aristocratic drawing-rooms,
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 225 
 
 such as that of Princess B and Marchioness 
 
 d'A , she obtained the entry to all the others. 
 
 With your knowledge of the infatuations of our fashion- 
 able world, you can imagine the extravagant style of 
 admiring gossip with which such a beautiful rising 
 star is greeted wherever she goes. I should add that 
 the young sinner understands it all very well, and is 
 very much flattered by it. 
 
 The mystery which surrounds her increases the 
 peculiarity of our situation. Being always chaperoned 
 by her mother, whose foreign type of features creates an 
 imposing impression, Kondje-Gul is taken for one of 
 those young ladies who are models of filial respect. 
 The style of their house and of their dress, and that 
 refined elegance which stamps them as ladies of 
 distinction, designate them no less indisputably the 
 possessors of a large fortune and of high rank. All 
 this, you will perceive, formed a crowning justification for 
 the success which Kondje-Gul' s remarkable beauty had 
 of itself sufficed to achieve for her. Then of course 
 the fashionable reporters of the official receptions ful- 
 filled their duty by heralding the advent of this brilliant 
 star. They only made the mistake — one of those mis- 
 takes so common with journalists — of describing her as 
 a Georgian. 
 
 Confident in the security of our mystery, Kondje-Gul 
 and I find nothmg more delightful than the manoeuvres 
 by which we deceive them all. We have invented a code 
 of signs, the meaning of which we keep to ourselves,
 
 226 MY UNCLE BAHDASSOU. 
 
 and which leads to some very amusing by-play 
 between us. 
 
 Thus tho other evening, at Madame do T 's, she 
 
 was sitting by Maud and Suzannah, surrounded by a 
 number of admirers, when the young Duke de ^tarandal, 
 one of tho most ardent of my acknowledged rivals, was 
 lavishing upon her his most seductive attentions. 
 Kondje was listening to him with a charming smile on 
 her face. Now that evening, I must tell you, she had 
 resolved upon a bit of fun ; and knowing that in France 
 unmarried girls are not supposed to wear jewellery, she 
 had fastened on her wrist a heavy gold bracelet as a 
 token of her servitude. So while the young duke was 
 talking, she looked at me, playing carelessly the while 
 with what she calls her " slave's ring." You may guess 
 how we lauffhed tojrether over it. 

 
 CHAPTER XIL 
 
 I HAVE to inform you, my dear fellow, that my uncle, 
 who has always been admired so far for his virtuous con- 
 duct, and whom I should certainly have been ready to 
 quote as a paragon of husbands, seems just now on the 
 way to forfeiting his character. 
 
 Here is what I have to relate : 
 
 Two days ago I went to the Theatre des Varietes to 
 see for the second time the play which is just now the 
 rage. Not having obtained a good place, I left my stall 
 at the end of the first act with the intention of not 
 returning, when, as I passed a rather closely-curtained 
 stage-box, I was quite surprised by seeing Barbassou-
 
 228 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 Pasha, who had pretended to bo going out that evening 
 to an important dinner with some business friends. Ho 
 was accorapanicd by a lady whose features were obscured 
 by the darkness. 
 
 Being a discreet and respectful nephew, I was about to 
 turn my eyes the other way, when he beckoned me with 
 an imperative gesture to join him in his box. I imme- 
 diately obeyed this peremptory summons, and, going 
 round by the passage, got the box-opener to usher 
 
 me in. 
 
 " Come in, and sit down," said my uncle, pointing out 
 to me a chair behind him. 
 
 Once more I obeyed him, bowing politely to the lady, 
 whose features I could not clearly distinguish. I was 
 hardly seated when I recognised the fair heroine of the 
 faintmg fit last week. 
 
 Exquisitely attired in a perfectly ravishing costume, 
 Madame Jean Bonafi'e replied to my compliments by a 
 charming smile, and a pretty glance from her fine 
 Spanish eyes, which showed me clearly that she was 
 troubled by no remnants of that sudden indisposition 
 which the too unexpected encounter with my uncle had 
 produced. 
 
 Our conversation turned upon the play. As she 
 spoke French rather badly (although she understood it 
 very well), she asked my uncle from time to time to tell 
 her the words she was in need of. This he did, pro- 
 nouncing them with grammatical deliberation, and then 
 leaving us to talk alone, while he surveyed the audience 
 like one superior to such frivolities as feminine small-
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 229 
 
 talk. My companion was very gay, and was crunching 
 bonbons all the time. 
 
 I, as you may be sure, was gallant and attentive, and 
 I followed her example with the bonbons. 
 
 My former aunt, Christina de Portero, is at the happy 
 age of between twenty-eight and thirty. Or, possibly, 
 she is as old as thirty- two. Her figure is slender and 
 supple, with those bold expansions of the hips which, in 
 dancing the fandango, make short work of the skirt. 
 Add to these fascinating details the accurate information 
 with which I have already supplied you on the subject 
 of her exuberant bust, and you can picture her very well 
 for yourself. 
 
 She has a fine erect head, clear and singularly expres- 
 sive features, a warm complexion, a Grecian nose, with 
 quivering nostrils, and a mouth adorned with pearly 
 teeth, with a soft, black, downy growth on her upper lip. 
 She is an Andalusian, overflowing with life and spirits, 
 whose exuberance, however, is tempered by her graceful 
 and truly refined demeanour. One can guess what a 
 fire of passion smoulders within her. 
 
 My uncle was in perfection that evening. From 
 time to time he discarded his philosophic calm in order 
 to take a look at us and reply in Spanish to his fair 
 friend's questions. He addressed her as " querida," in 
 that indulgent tone which is peculiar to him, like a 
 pasha who is signifying his approbation. 
 
 During the course of our conversation I discovered 
 that things had gone on like this between them since 
 the day after that famous scene at Villebon, whose
 
 230 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 lively incidents had doubtless conduced to this friendly 
 reconciliation. How Lad my uncle managed to get 
 round the ferocious native of Toulon ? That I could 
 never discover. However this may have been, after 
 the play was over, we went off, all three of us, to the 
 Cafe Anglais. 
 
 We had a capital supper, during which Madame 
 Jean Bonafie, feeling more at her ease under these 
 intimate circumstances, gave free play to her fascina- 
 tions. I could soon perceive that in her pleasure at 
 forgetting her regrettable escapades of the past, her 
 grief over her supposed ■nddowhood, and also the short- 
 lived and illegal marriage which she had contracted by 
 mistake, she expected that my uncle would settle her 
 at Paris. She appeared to speak of this happy pros- 
 pect as of something upon which her mind was set, 
 and it gave rise to a number of beautiful castles in 
 the air. 
 
 Barbassou-Pasha, gallant and attentive as ever, 
 listened to all these proposed arrangements for her 
 felicity, in that good-natured, patronizing manner which 
 he always maintains with women, and only departs from 
 in the case of my aunt Eudoxia, who keeps him in 
 check. Nodding his approval of everything she said, 
 he went on eating and drinking, like a practical man 
 who will not neglect the claims of a good supper, and 
 he allowed the fair Andalusian to lavish all her 
 attentions upon him. 
 
 About two o'clock in the morning, we took a 
 brougham, drove back my aunt to the Rue de I'Arcade,
 
 MY UNCLE BABBASSOU. 231 
 
 where she occupies a splendidly furnished suite of 
 rooms, and then returned home. 
 
 " What do you think of all that, my dear Louis ? 
 Hum ! " 
 
 Our little circle has been augmented by a very plea- 
 sant and genial addition, Mr. Edward Wolsey, a nephew 
 of the commodore's, who may very likely be engaged to 
 Maud. 
 
 As I have become quite intimate with Commodore 
 Montague's party, I generally join their group, without 
 the smallest fear of raising a suspicion regarding these 
 encounters. The attention which I pay to Kondje-Gul 
 and to Suzannah have caused no little envy, for, as you 
 know, Kondje-Gul pretends she does not dance. This 
 peculiarity, together with her original fascinations mth 
 which a certain childish simplicity is mingled, give 
 rise to the most extraordinary conjectures. What is 
 the cause of all this reserve ? men ask. Is it modesty, 
 bashfulness, or pride ? They know that she can 
 dance splendidly, for she has been seen dancing occa- 
 sionally at private parties with Maud and Suzannah. 
 They think it must be due to some jealous fiance, 
 her betrothal to whom is kept secret, and to whom 
 she is devoted. 
 
 Lent having interrupted the course of public enter- 
 tainments, our private parties which usually took place 
 at Teral House, became the gainers by it. Maud and 
 Suzannah felt more free and easy there, and Kondje- 
 Gul experienced quite a childish delight in holding what
 
 232 MY UNCLE B.UIBASSOU. 
 
 she called her '* receptions." Our small circle was soon 
 augmented by a dozen select friends, picked carefully 
 from the ranks of their young ball-room acquaintances. 
 There were one or two mothers among them whose 
 presence did not interfere with the harmony of these 
 charming gatherings, and the tone of elegant distinc- 
 tion which prevailed in no respect interfered with their 
 exuberant gaiety. 
 
 This break in the giddy circle of fashionable dissipa- 
 tion, aftbrded quite a new happiness to Kondje-Gul and 
 me. In the course of her initiation into the refinements 
 of our life, her exotic charms had acquired some new 
 and indescribable embellishments. We spent many a 
 long evening alone together in that delightful privacy 
 which affords the sweetest opportunities for communion 
 between loving hearts, and we grew to feel like a modern 
 Darby and Joan. I was quite proud of my handiwork, 
 and contemplated with joy this pure and ideal being 
 whose nature I had inspired, whose soul and whose 
 heart I had moulded. The cultivation of this young 
 and virgin mind, as I may be permitted to call it, so 
 possessed by its Oriental beliefs, had produced a charm- 
 ing contrast of enthusiasm and calm reason which 
 imparted a most original eflfect to her frank utterances 
 of new ideas. I was often quite surprised to find in her 
 mingled with her Asiatic superstitions, and transformed 
 as it were by contact with a simpler faith, the substance 
 of my own private sentiments and of my wildest aspira- 
 tions. One might really think that she had borrowed 
 her thoughts, nay, her very life, as it were, from me, and
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 233 
 
 that her tender emotions had their source in my own 
 heart. 
 
 Our happiness seemed so assured, and we had it so 
 completely under our own control, that it would have 
 appeared absurd for us to imagine it to be at the mercy 
 of Fate. Still, in the midst of this tranquillity there 
 sometimes arose in my mind an anxious thought. 
 Light clouds floated across my clear azure sky, and 
 often, as I sat by her side, I began to think, in spite of 
 myself, about the future — about this marriage of which 
 you yourself have reminded me, and from the obligations 
 to which nothing could save me. However great the 
 sacrifice might be, I could not even think of failing to 
 carry out my uncle's wishes in this matter. My heart 
 bound me to this adoptive father who had placed 
 unlimited faith in my loyalty : my whole life was 
 pledged to this chivalrous benefactor who had left all 
 his fortune in my hands, nor could I permit the least 
 suspicion of ingratitude on my part to pass over his 
 mind. 
 
 But melancholy as Avas the recollection of this duty to 
 which I had resigned myself, I must confess that, after 
 all, this impression was but a fugitive one. I no longer 
 attempted to struggle against the temptation to a com- 
 promise, by means of which I had determined to recon- 
 cile my passion for Koudje-Gul with my marital duties 
 to Anna Campbell. The retiring nature of the latter 
 would surely permit our union to be treated as one of 
 those arrangements known as manages de convenance, 
 and my charming romantic connection with Kondje-Gul
 
 234 MY UNCLE BAIIBASSOU. 
 
 would always remain a secret. Moreover, my uncle, 
 should he ever discover this after-match of my oriental 
 life, was certainly not the man to bo seriously scan- 
 dalised at it, directly he assured himself that "the 
 respectabilities" had not been violated. 
 
 By-the-bye, I should tell you that was a false alarm I 
 sounded about my uncle ! I calumniated him when I 
 believed him to have committed anything so shocking 
 as a double adultery. 
 
 We went again yesterday to the forest of Meudon, 
 which we had almost given up visiting of late, my uncle 
 having been engaged for the last fortnight upon "some 
 important morning business," as he says. Well, wo 
 arrived at Yillebou's restaurant, our usual destination. 
 When we entered that celebrated room — empty this 
 time — which had been the scene of the drama which you 
 remember, the latter came back very naturally to our 
 memory, and would have done so even without the 
 superfluous aid of the grins with which our waiter 
 greeted us. Equally naturally, and as becomes a 
 dutiful nephew, who does not wish to appear indififerent 
 to family matters, I, seeing my uncle cast a glanco 
 towards the window near which the incident that pro- 
 duced such momentous consequences occurred, took the 
 opportunity of asking after my pseudo-aunt Christina, 
 about whom I had not had any previous chance of 
 questioning him. 
 
 "Christina!" exclaimed Barbassou-Pasha, "why, 
 she's gone back ! "
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 235 
 
 "Dear me! I thought she wanted to settle in 
 Paris?" 
 
 His eye lightened up with a sly look. 
 
 *' Oh, yes ! She would have liked to do so very well," 
 he replied. "In fact, we made the round of the uphol- 
 sterers' shops, — and she fancied, up to the last moment, 
 that it was all settled. But I had made up my mind, 
 and I sent her hack to Jean Bonaffe." 
 
 " The deuce you did ! " I said, quite astonished at the 
 news. 
 
 Then my uncle just closed one of his eyes, and looked 
 at me out of the other, as he added — 
 
 " You see, I was not sorry to return that rascal the 
 little trick he played me hefore ! " 
 
 And, with that, Barhassou-Pasha began to whistle 
 a hunting song, with all the calm complacency of an 
 honest soul on satisfactory terms with his neighbour. I 
 accompanied him whistling the bass, and we got on very 
 well together that time. 
 
 I believe that after this explanation, you will at once 
 renew the esteem which you used to accord to my uncle, 
 and will join me in a sincere expression of regret for 
 having suspected him for one moment in this matter : 
 — in which, in reality, he had merely played the part of 
 an avenging deity, punishing sinners with remorse by 
 recalling to them the blisses of their lost Paradise. 
 And I am ready to testify that he has spared no expense ; 
 for during the last three weeks he has had from me 
 more than twenty thousand francs in pocket-money. I 
 warrant you he has given his fair friend a jolly time of
 
 236 
 
 MY UNCLE B.VRBASSOU. 
 
 it, purposely holding the golden cup to her faithless lips, 
 
 and letting them taste of all the pleasures 
 
 The severe lesson of an ahrupt return to her husband, 
 Jean Bonaffe, after the awakening of such delightful 
 anticipations, will certainly impress the guilty one, 
 and engrave in her heart a keen remorse for her past 
 misconduct. 
 
 ^ F II PAYTlllB-rS
 
 ■'0i < 
 
 CHAPTEK XIII 
 
 We have been four months at Paris without , ^ V? ' , 
 anything to disturb the happy life which wc -v-i'i> T,' 
 have led, secure from ail suspicions. Nothing " - ' 
 can be more original or sweeter than this love con- "i 
 
 cealed from all prying eyes, the exquisite pleasures S 
 
 of which you can imagine. Kondje, dchghtcd k> 
 
 with her triumphs, plays everywhere her part of ' ' ' 
 enchantress. ) 
 
 My romance is, hov/cvcr, complicated by a cir- 
 cumstance which I must at once relate to you. 
 
 You will not have forgotten that my aunt had seen 
 Kondje-Gul at Baroness de Villeneuve's party, and that
 
 288 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 she conceived a great liking for her. Their friendship 
 having been cemented during several parties at tho 
 commodore's, where they met each other, my aunt very 
 naturally in^^ted Madame Murrah and her daughter 
 to dinner one evening. She is fond of young people, as 
 you know ; and Suzannah, Maud, and Kondje-Gul 
 formed such a charming trio, that she soon insisted on 
 their coming to dine with her every Thursday. Indeed, 
 Kondje has frequently met Anna Campbell there, for 
 the latter has leave out from her convent twice a month. 
 The consequence was, we became in time so completely 
 involved in intimate relations together, that it would have 
 been imprudent to make any break in them : moreover, 
 Kondje-Gul was so very happy and so proud of this 
 intimacy which allied her still more closely with me ! 
 All of them were charmed with her ; even my uncle, 
 who, delighted at the opportunity of conversing with 
 her in Turkish, treated her with quite a display of 
 gallantry. 
 
 Among the constant -sisitors at our house, I should 
 have mentioned Count Daniel Kiusko, a fabulously rich 
 young Slav, the owner of platinum mines in the Krapacks 
 mountains, and in the forests of Bessarabia. This being 
 his first visit to Paris, I found myself selected to act as 
 his guide or bear-leader, and to introduce him to our 
 gay world. It was a simple enough task, for that matter, 
 since I had hardly anything to do but to present him in 
 society. 
 
 Ho was tall, slenderly built, and a fine specimen of 
 the young boyard, with that determined expression of
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 239 
 
 countenance wliich suggests a habit of acting and being 
 obeyed as the feudal lord. In less than a week, with the 
 most lofty recklessness, he had thrown away half a 
 million francs in the club at baccarat, and his other 
 doings are all in the same vein. With such a start, you 
 may be sure he has taken the world by storm, so that 
 his friendship is sought after as a prize. A successful 
 duel which he fought with a Brazilian made his repu- 
 tation as a skilful swordsman. 
 
 His gratitude to me, and a sort of frank admiration 
 of superior qualities, which he fancies he recognises in 
 me, have won for me his friendship. I have quite 
 become "his guide, philosopher, and friend." I find 
 him a capital companion, and, like some modern Damon 
 and Pythias, we hardly pass a day without seeing 
 one another. At first he was rather surprised that I 
 abstained from the promiscuous pleasures of the gay 
 world ; but he soon divined that I was restrained by the 
 spell of a secret passion, and this placed me still higher 
 in his estimation. 
 
 I gained credit with Kiusko by taking him into 
 my confidence, and telling him that I had in truth a 
 liaison with a young widow, whose high position in 
 society demanded extreme prudence on my part. With 
 the tact of a thorough -bred gentleman, he never referred 
 to the subject again. Being himself associated with us 
 in our relations with the Montagues, through meeting 
 them at my aunt's, he would never dream of my having 
 any attachment in that quarter ; indeed, he was now
 
 240 
 
 MY UNCLE 13ARBAS80U. 
 
 almost on au equal footing of friendship with me in our 
 intercourse with the fair trio, and was spoken of as ono 
 of their " tame cats." Such was the position of things 
 when the following event occurred. 
 
 It happened a few days ago. I was in my aunt's 
 boudoir, tulkiug about some matter, which I forget; 
 she was knitting away at a little piece of ornamental 
 work, with her usual business-like industry, and I was 
 playing with her dog ** Music," a young animal from 
 Greece. 
 
 ** By the bye, Andre," she said, " I have an important 
 commission to discharge, concerning which I must 
 consult you." 
 
 " All my wisdom is at your sernce, aunt." 
 
 "Let us talk seriously," she continued; "you have 
 to undergo a regular cross-examination, and I command 
 you to reply like au obedient nephew." 
 
 ** Oh, you frighten me ! " 
 
 "Don't interrupt me, please. In my person you see 
 before you a family council." 
 
 *' What, all at once, and without any preparation ? — 
 without even changing your dress ? " 
 
 "You impertinent boy, do you mean to say this does 
 not suit me ? " 
 
 " On the contrary, I find it quite bewitching." 
 
 " Well, then ? " 
 
 " All right, I ought not to have interrupted you." 
 
 " Very well ! let us resume — let me see, what was 
 I saying?"
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 241 
 
 " That in that handsome dark violet velvet dress you 
 represent the grandmother of the family." 
 
 ** Just so, you're quite right ! Now, attention please ! 
 The trial has commenced, be on your guard." 
 " Right you are ! " 
 
 " Well, what do you think of Mademoiselle Kondje- 
 Gul Murrah? " she asked me point blank, looking me 
 straight in the face. 
 
 This question was so unexpected that I felt myself 
 blush like a girl of sixteen. 
 
 ** Why," I answered, " I think her — most charm- 
 ing and beautiful." 
 
 *' That's right! Pray don't alarm yourself, my dear 
 young man ! " continued my aunt with a smile. 
 " Oh, I'm not the least alarmed ! " 
 " That's quite clear ! — Well, you admit that you find 
 her most charming and beautiful. Let us proceed. 
 What is your present position with regard to her? 
 Tell me the whole truth, and mind don't keep anything 
 back. 
 
 I had found time to recover my self-possession. 
 "Take care," I said, laughing in my turn; "this 
 question of yours may lead us much further than you 
 imagine." 
 
 " That's all nonsense. Don't try to turn off my 
 questions with jokes, and please leave my dog's ear 
 alone ! If you pull it about like that, you'll make it 
 grow crooked. There, that'll do! Now, answer me 
 seriously, and with all the respect which you ought to 
 feel in speaking of a young lady like Kondje-Gul Murrah."
 
 842 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 I was inspired with the brilliant idea of making game 
 of Lcr. 
 
 " Must I tell you the whole truth ? " I replied. "Do 
 you really require to know it ? " 
 
 "I demand it," she said, "in its naked, unsophisti- 
 cated reality." 
 
 " All right, aunt ! you shall have it ; " I said, in a 
 confident tone. " I suppose you know that Mademoiselle 
 Kondje-Gul is a Circassian. Well, she belongs to my 
 harem ; I bought her at Constantinople eight months 
 ago." 
 
 My aunt split her sides with laughter. 
 
 "There now!" she exclaimed; "what ever is the 
 use of expecting a word of sense from a lunatic like 
 
 you?" 
 
 "You asked me for the truth, and I have told it to 
 you ! " I replied, laughing secretly at the trick I was 
 placing her. 
 
 " Leave off talking rubbish ! Can't you understand, 
 you silly boy, that I am speaking to you about Kondje- 
 Gul because I can see how the land lies ? It is quite 
 clear to me that between you two there is some sort of 
 secret understanding ; now what is it ? I know nothing 
 about it, but however innocent this mystery may be, I 
 see too much danger about it not to caution you. 
 Mademoiselle Murrah is not one of those drawing-room 
 dolls with whom it is safe for a man to risk a little of 
 his heart in the game of flirtation ; no, the man who 
 once falls in love with her will love her for ever, body 
 and soul, he will be bewitched."
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 243 
 
 " Why, then, she must be Circe herself," I exclaimed : 
 *' it's a terrible look-out for me ! " 
 
 "Oh, you need not laugh," she continued: *'your 
 lofty philosophical contempt would not serve you in the 
 least. A beautiful sorceress like that girl is all the 
 more dangerous because her own heart is liable to be 
 kindled by the flames of her incantations. In her heart 
 slumber passions which will devour her some day, both 
 her and the man she loves. That is why I am reading 
 you this lecture, with the object of warning you in time, 
 before your youthful recklessness has carried you too far 
 in this affair ; especially as you are already betrothed to 
 another." 
 
 Not-Withstanding the semi-jocular manner which my 
 aunt had preserved throughout this lecture, I could 
 easily perceive that she was seriously alarmed on my 
 behalf. I therefore abandoned my jesting tone, assuring 
 her that neither my imagination nor my heart were 
 in the smallest danger Avith Mademoiselle Kondje-Gul 
 Murrah, and that "no change whatever would be made 
 in our present relations." This Jesuitical reply appeared 
 to satisfy her. 
 
 " In that case," she continued, " I may set to work 
 to get her married ? " 
 
 " Get her married ? " I exclaimed in astonish- 
 ment. 
 
 *' Certainly. Did I not tcU }0U, before I began ques- 
 tioning you, that I had an important commission to dis- 
 charge ? My young cousin Kiusko adores her, he has 
 begged me to see Madame Murrah on his behalf, and I
 
 244 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 expect to call on her this ver}* day, to set tliis important 
 business in train." 
 
 Although I might have long ago foreseen the conse- 
 quences of emancipating Kondje-Gul from her harem 
 life, and the conflict which it would involve me in with 
 our social customs, I must admit that this revelation of 
 my aunt's intentions caused me no small anxiety. 
 Koudje's remarkable beauty created too much sensation 
 in the world for me to hope that rivals would not turn 
 up in large numbers, against whom I should have to 
 defend myself. Her personal independence, the wealth 
 which her mother's establishment indicated, and her 
 youth, all seemed to leave the field open to sanguine 
 hopes, and to attempts to win her hand, to the open 
 acknowledgment of w'hich no obstacle appeared. Never- 
 theless, well prepared as I was for such attempts, and 
 fully expecting to witness them, I was very much afi'ected 
 by the news that Kiusko was my rival. It was impos- 
 sible for me to doubt that his determination to marry 
 Kondje-Gul was the result of reflection as well as of 
 love, and that it would be only strengthened by any 
 obstacle. Of a calm and energetic nature, endowed with 
 an iron will, and accustomed to see everything submit 
 to his law, he had also preserved that freshness of the 
 affections which would be intensified by the impulses of 
 a first love. 
 
 All the same, and notwithstanding my friendship for 
 him, I certainly could not think of explaining to him 
 the strange situation in which he had in his ignorance
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 245 
 
 placed himself. To proclaim KondjeGul to be my 
 mistress would be to banish her from the society into 
 which she had won her way : it would have wounded her 
 spirit to the quick and determined her degradation, 
 without reason or advantage either for Kiusko or for 
 myself. Moreover, did I not owe a stricter fidelity to 
 her than to this friend of yesterday ? 
 
 I resolved accordingly to keep my counsel, and wait 
 upon events. I felt too confident of regulating them in 
 my own interests to be afraid of the consequences. 
 However, I was surprised by an incident which at first 
 seemed insignificant. Having been informed of my 
 aunt's projected visit to Kondje's mother, I went to her 
 the same evening, thinking that she would at once tell 
 me about it, but she said nothing. I thought, of course, 
 that some obstacle had occurred which had deferred my 
 aunt's negotiations. 
 
 The next da}', without seeming to attach any import- 
 ance to the matter, I questioned my aunt about it. She 
 informed me that she had been to Madame Murrah's 
 the day before. 
 
 " Did you commence your overtures on behalf of 
 Kiusko's grand scheme ? " I asked her. 
 
 "Yes," she answered. 
 
 "And — were they entertained ? " 
 
 " Oh, you are going too fast ! According to Mus- 
 sulman usage, matters don't proceed at that rate. We 
 did not get any further than the preliminaries. I 
 explained our amorous friend's eager anxiety, and the 
 next step is to consult Kondje-Gul."
 
 246 MT UNCLE B.illBASSOU. 
 
 *' Meanwhile, docs the mother appear favourable to 
 your request?" 
 
 "It was not her duty to declare herself at the first 
 interview," said my aunt. ** She has, as you know, all 
 the fatalistic composure of her race ; still, when I 
 described Daniel's fortune, I fancied she listened to me 
 with some approval." 
 
 "Did she tell you what dowry she could give her 
 daughter." 
 
 " Dowry ! are you mad ? We talked in Turkish and 
 discussed the matter in the Turkish way. I think I 
 should have surprised her exceedingly if I had given her 
 the idea that I was asking, not only for Kondje-Gul 
 herself, but for some pecuniary remuneration to the 
 noble Kiusko for taking her. That would have been 
 sufficient to upset all her ideas, for don't you know that 
 in the East it is the husband, on the contrary, who 
 always makes a present to the parents of the girl he 
 wants to have ? This arrangement, by the way, seems 
 to mo more chivalrous and more manly. Kiusko, for 
 that matter, cares about as much for money as for a 
 straw : he loves her, and that is enough for him." 
 
 I took good care not to disturb the illusive hopes 
 which my aunt had already conceived. Being re- 
 assured by the manner in which Madame Murrah had 
 played her part, it only remained for mo to determine 
 the time and the form of refusal best adapted to the 
 circumstances. 
 
 While I was in the midst of these reflections, Count 
 Kiusko came in, like any familiar friend, without being
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 247 
 
 announced. He held out his band to me with more 
 than his usual cordiality. By his happy looks I judged 
 that he had already had a word of encouragement from 
 my aunt, and that he had come to learn in detail the 
 result of her first attempt. Not wishing to disturb their 
 interview, I pretended after a minute or two that I had 
 some letters to write, and left them. 
 
 The following morning I was only just out of bed 
 when Kiusko came up with his spurs on. "We had 
 decided the day before to ride together to the Bois. As 
 he usually went to the rendezvous by himself, I guessed 
 that to-day he wanted to appear to have been taken there 
 by me, in order to cover his embarrassment, or perhaps 
 his bashfulness when he met Kondje-Gul. Having 
 made up my mind to avoid all confidences, I kept my 
 valet in the room with me, dressing myself very delibe- 
 rately, and without any compassion for Kiusko's impa- 
 tience. This compelled us, directly we were mounted, 
 to gallop to the Bois, a procedure not very favourable to 
 confidential effusions. 
 
 We only joined the party at the Avenue of Acacias on 
 their way back. I took care to watch Kiusko as he 
 saluted Kondje-Gul. He blushed and stammered out a 
 compliment addressed collectively to all the three girls. 
 Kondje's countenance betrayed nothing more than the 
 flush produced by her ride. We started off in two sepa- 
 rate parties. From motives of discretion, I suppose, 
 Kiusko remained behind with Suzannah and the com- 
 modore. Edward and I had gone in front with Kondje- 
 Gul and Maud, who was quarrelling with her cousin
 
 248 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 upon the important question, as to whether we should 
 gallop straight ahead or make a round between the 
 trees. Kondje-Gul decided the matter by suddenly 
 entering the cover. 
 
 " Who loves me, let him follow me ! " she said, \\'ith 
 a laugh. 
 
 I followed her, and in a few moments we found our- 
 selves side by side. 
 
 " Oh, such a fine piece of news ! " she said to me, as 
 soon as Llaud and Edward, who were behind us, were 
 out of hearing. 
 
 "What is it? "I asked. 
 
 " Well, I must tell you that the day before yesterday 
 your aunt came to see my mother while I was away, and 
 there and then formally requested my hand in marriage 
 for the noble Count Daniel Kiusko. My mother related 
 this to me this morning, when I got up." 
 
 " And what did you answer her ? " 
 
 ** Oh, I laughed at first, and then I told mamma 
 that she must inform you at once, so that you may 
 decide upon the manner in which she shall repulse the 
 enemy." 
 
 ** That's simple enough," said I. " She has only to 
 tell my aunt, when next she calls, that she has consulted 
 
 you." 
 
 " Is it as simple as that ? " 
 
 " Certainly," I said, with a feeling of annoyance at 
 the idea that she knew of Daniel's love. "Is it not 
 solely your will that has to be consulted ? " 
 
 Kondje-Gul regarded me with astonishment.
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 249 
 
 " My will ?" she said. " Good heavens ! do you love 
 me no longer ? " 
 
 " "Why should you imagine I love you no longer ? " I 
 answered. 
 
 " One might suppose that you ^vished to remind me 
 of that horrihle liberty which I am so much afraid 
 of." 
 
 I then realised how stupid and abrupt I had been, and 
 asked her forgiveness. 
 
 "You naughty fellow!" she said, pointing to the 
 golden bracelet clasped round her arm. 
 
 We decided that I should go to her mother to concert 
 with her and dictate to her the precise terms of a refusal 
 which should cut short all Kiusko's hopes. We were 
 just then emerging from the narrow avenue, and Maud 
 and Edward were joining us again. Our ride came to 
 an end without any other incident of note, except indeed 
 that it appeared to me Daniel was watching Kondjc 
 and myself, as if he wanted to guess what had taken 
 place during our tete-a-tete, which he had observed 
 from a distance. I troubled myself no further 
 about this, but made up my mind to take mea- 
 sures that very day to put an end to this stupid 
 adventure. 
 
 About three o'clock I went to Teral House, and in 
 an interview with Kondje-Gul's mother drew up the 
 precise terms of her answer to my aunt, which con- 
 sisted of a formula usually employed on similar occa- 
 sions. 
 
 " Mademoiselle Kondje-Gul feels greatly flattered by
 
 250 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 the honour which Count Daniel Kiusko has intended to 
 confer upon her, but is unable to accept it." To this 
 we added, in order to convince him it was not one of 
 those half-decisive answers which he might hope to 
 overcome : ** She desires to inform their friend confi- 
 dentially that her heart is no longer free, and that she 
 is engaged to one of her relations." This partly-confi- 
 dential answer possessed the merits of a candid com- 
 munication, after receiving which no honourable man 
 could press her -without giving offence. Moreover, it 
 established a definite status, under which Kondje-Gul 
 could shelter herself for the future from all importunate 
 attempts on the part of my rival. 
 

 
 fei^ -ifi^- : 
 
 CHA^feK XIV. 
 
 You are returning once more, my dear Louis, 
 to your favourite occupation of knocking down 
 skittles which you have set up yourself, and are 
 trying to exercise your humorous spirit at my 
 expense. 
 
 You tell me that my Oriental system of life crumLles 
 away upon contact ^\ith the hard world, and with those 
 sentiments which I venture to class among the antiquated 
 prejudices of a worn-out civilisation. 
 
 You do not perceive, you subtle scofler, that every one 
 of your arguments can be turned against you to establish 
 the superiority of the customs of the harem. Can't you 
 see that all these mishaps, these troubles, and these 
 outbursts of jealousy, which you have intentionally 
 magnified, originate solely in Kondjc-Gul's emancipa-
 
 252 MY UNCLE BARBASSOD. 
 
 tion from the harem, and that none of them would have 
 occurred if I had not departed from Turkish usages ? 
 Consider on the one hand the tranquillity of ray amours 
 with Zouhra, Nazli, and Iladidje, my easy life with 
 them, as a poet and a sultan, secure from all annoying 
 rivalries, and on the other hand look at these difficulties 
 and contests arising all at once out of our social 
 conventionalities. 
 
 I do not really know why I should waste any more 
 time discussing the question with you. 
 
 Being now confident that after the declaration which 
 Madame Murrah would next day make to my aunt, 
 Kondje-Gul would be freed henceforth from the impor- 
 tunities of Count Kiusko, I soon recovered my peace of 
 mind. I entertained no doubts as to the effect which 
 such a decisive answer would produce upon Daniel. I 
 knew that he was too deeply in love not to feel the 
 blow severely. 
 
 I expected, accordingly, to hear that he was mourning 
 in some secluded retreat over his lost hopes. For him 
 to see Kondje-Gul again after such an unqualified refusal 
 would only revive his sorrows and cause him more 
 suffering. More than this, it would place her in an 
 uncomfortable position since his declaration of love to 
 her. But while I was convincing myself as to this 
 necessity for him to break ofi' his relations with her, 
 great was my surprise at seeing him reappear among us 
 the following day as calm as ever, and just as if no un- 
 pleasant incident had befallen him. Time went on, and 
 still there was no change in this respect. One might
 
 MY UNCLE BAKBASSOU. 253 
 
 even have said, to judge from his easy demeanour and 
 from a certain increase of assurance in his manner, that 
 he felt confident in the future success of his endeavours, 
 and was only waiting for the happy moment when his 
 aspirations would he realized. 
 
 I could not help heing puzzled by this remarkable 
 result of a decided rejection of his suit, but as I had so 
 plainly avoided my rival's confidences in my embarrass- 
 ment at the part I was playing, I could not now attempt 
 to regain them. I began to suspect that Kondje-Gul's 
 mother had rehearsed her part imperfectly, and at last 
 made up my mind to question my aunt discreetly on this 
 point. 
 
 " By the by, my dear aunt," I said to her one morn- 
 ing in a perfectly unconcerned tone of voice, "you have 
 not told me anything more about Kiusko's intended 
 marriage." 
 
 "Ah, there is no longer any question of it!" she 
 answered me. " He presented himself too late : the fail 
 Kondje-Gul's heart is occupied. She is even engaged 
 to one of her own relations I hear." 
 
 " Then he seems to me to be bearing his disappoint 
 ment very easily." 
 
 ** Oh, don't be too sure about that ! Daniel is not one 
 of those whining lovers who publish their lamentations 
 to the whole world. He loves her, as I could see by his 
 sudden paleness when I announced to him the definite 
 rejection of his offer ; but he has an iron will, and you 
 may be certain that if he is so calm, that only shows 
 he still cherishes some hope. As for me, I won't believe
 
 254 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 in Kondjo-Gul's marriage with her cousin, until I sco 
 them coming out of church together." 
 
 Now although it was of small consequence to me that 
 Kiusko, in 'his rohust faith, still preserved a remnant of 
 hope, I must admit that I felt somewhat aggravated by 
 his presumptuous pertinacity. As he had formally 
 declared his love, Kondje-Gul could not henceforth feign 
 to ignore it. There was an offensive kind of imperti- 
 nence to her about that coolness of his, which affected 
 to take no account of an engagement of which she had 
 informed him as a justification for her refusal. However 
 reserved he might be, and even if he never betrayed by 
 a single word the secret feeling which he concealed so 
 carefully during our intercourse as friends, it would be 
 impossible for me not to feel the constraint of such a 
 situation. So far as he was concerned, it did not seem 
 to trouble him in the least. This demeanour, and this 
 insolent confidence of his — such as might be expected in 
 a petty feudal tyrant — irritated me inexpressibly; but 
 on incident occurred, at first sight insignificant, which 
 diverted the current of my suspicions into quite a 
 different channel. 
 
 One morning, about ten o'clock, I was accompanying 
 my aunt upon one of her rounds of visiting the poor. 
 As we happened to be passing Count Teral's house, I 
 was very much surprised to see Daniel coming out of it. 
 What had he been doing there ? This was Kondje- 
 Gul's lesson time, and certainly not the time of day for 
 callers. This discovery put me into a state of agitation 
 which it was extremely difficult for me to avoid showing.
 
 MY UNCLE BAKBASSOU. 255 
 
 I reflected, however, that it was quite possible Maud or 
 Suzannah had entrusted him -with a message or with 
 some book, which he had come to deliver. How- 
 ever that might be, I wanted to clear up the mystery. 
 When half-way down the Champs Elysees, I pretended 
 to have an order to give to a coachmaker, and leaving 
 my aunt to return home alone, I went back to Teral 
 House. 
 
 As I had anticipated, Kondje-Gul was shut up with 
 her music-mistress. I sent up my name in the ordinary 
 way, and was immediately introduced. 
 
 " What ! is it you ? " she said, pretending before her 
 mistress to be surprised at such an early visit. ** Have 
 you come to play a duet with me ? " 
 
 "No," I answered, "I was passing by this way, and 
 I will only trouble you long enough to find out if you 
 have formed any plans for to-day with your friends the 
 Montagues." 
 
 " None," she repHed, "beyond that they are expecting 
 me at three o'clock." 
 
 " Then they did not send you any message this 
 morning ? " 
 
 "No. Has anything happened?" she added in 
 Turkish. 
 
 " Nothing whatever," I replied, with a laugh. " My 
 aunt brought me this way, so I thought I would come 
 and say good morning to you." 
 
 " How kind and nice of you ! " she said, with evident 
 warmth. 
 
 She had not left her piano, and I remained r.tanding, 
 
 2
 
 256 MY FNCLE BARBASSOTT. 
 
 SO as to show that I had only called on my way, to 
 receive her orders. I shook hands with her, saying that 
 I did not wish to interrupt hor lessons any more, and 
 took my departure. 
 
 It was evident that Kondje knew nothing about 
 Daniel's visit. On my way out I spoke to Fanny, and 
 gave her some instructions, telling her that I was going 
 to send some flowers. This girl was quite devoted to 
 me, and her discretion might he perfectly relied upon. 
 However, as I did not wish her to think that I was 
 questioning her about her mistress, I asked her in an 
 indift'erent manner if the count had not brought any- 
 thing for me. 
 
 " I don't know, sir," she answered. " The count 
 came an hour ago, but he told me to send in his name 
 to Mademoiselle Kondje's mother, who was expecting 
 him, I think, and who ordered me to show him into the 
 small drawing-room, where she went to see him. Wlien 
 he left, he said nothing to me." 
 
 ** Did he say nothing to Pierre ? " I added. 
 
 " Pierre was not in, sir," replied Fanny. " The 
 count only spoke to Madame Murrah." 
 
 " Ah, very well ! " I said, carelessly. 
 
 These inquiries had led me to a curious discovery. 
 What was the meaning of this private interview between 
 Kondje's mother and Daniel? Determined to get to 
 the bottom of this mystery, I went up without any more 
 ado to Madame Murrah's private sitting-room. She 
 did not appear surprised, from which I concluded that 
 she knew I was in the house, and was prepared to see
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 257 
 
 me. For my part I pretended to have come to settle 
 Bome details connected with the house and the stables, 
 for I was obliged to assist her in the management of 
 all her domestic affairs. She listened to what I said 
 with that deferential sort of smile which she invariably 
 assumes with me. When she was quite absorbed in 
 the calculations which I had submitted, I said to her 
 all at once: 
 
 " By the way, what did Count Kiusko come here for 
 so early in the day ? " 
 
 I thought I noticed her face redden, but this was only 
 a transient impression. 
 
 "The count?" she answered, in a most profoundly 
 surprised tone. " I did not see him ! Has he been 
 here ? " 
 
 " Why, Fanny showed him in here," I replied, " and 
 you have spoken to him." 
 
 "Ah, yes! this morning,'''' she exclaimed sharply, 
 and with emphasis on these words. " Goodness me, 
 what a poor head I have ! I thought you said yesterday 
 evening. I understand French so badly, you know. 
 Yes, yes, he has been here. The poor young man is 
 off his head. This is the second time he has been here 
 to beg me for Kondje-Gul's hand. He is quite crazy ! 
 crazy ! " 
 
 *' Oh, then he has been before ! But why did not 
 you inform me ? " 
 
 " It is true : I had forgotten to do so ! " she replied. 
 
 I deemed it useless to appear to press her any more 
 on the matter. Had Madame Murrah tried to keep me
 
 258 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 in ignorance of these visits of Count Kiusko's ? Or 
 was this merely a proof, or the contrary, of the slight 
 importance which she attached to them ? In any case, 
 for me to let her see my distrust in her would only put 
 her on her guard. So I hroke off the subject, and 
 resumed my household instructions, as if I had remarked 
 nothing more important in this matutinal incident than 
 the stupid pertinacity of a discomfited lover. A 
 quarter of an hour afterwards I took my leave of her in 
 quite a jaunty way. 
 
 Once out of the house, I considered the matter over 
 calmly, and made my reflections upon it. Had I, by 
 accident, stumbled upon a plot, or was my jealous mind 
 alarmed without occasion by a foolish attempt which 
 Kondje-Gul's mother could not avert ? Accustomed as 
 she was to a sort of passive submission, had she allowed 
 herself to be cowed by a man who spoke in the tone of a 
 master ? Was it not possible that, in her embarrass- 
 ment with the part she had to play, she had let out 
 rather more than was prudent? AVas anything more 
 than this necessary in order to explain Daniel's con- 
 duct? 
 
 Without any kind of scruple Kiusko brought to the 
 contest all the savage energy of a will constituted to 
 bend everything before it. The choice of instruments 
 was a matter of small importance to a man of his nature, 
 the incompleteness of whose education had left him 
 scarcely half-civilized. Accustomed to have all his own 
 way, he made straight for his object, rushing like a bull 
 at every obstacle. The suppleness of his yiavonic
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 259 
 
 character displayed itself in this desperate game, in 
 which the happiness of his life was at stake. He loved 
 Kondje-Gul, as I knew full well, with that hlind love 
 which admitted no compromise with reason. With the 
 mother as his ally, he no douht conjectured that the 
 marriage would he brought about in accordance with 
 Turkish custom without Kondje-Gul being consulted. 
 
 My first idea was to interfere violently and so frustrate 
 this plot, but enlightened upon those manceuvres, which 
 afforded me an explanation of Daniel's incredible con- 
 stancy after the repulse which he had sustained, I could 
 see the folly of any provocation on my part, and the con- 
 sequent danger of injuring Kondje-Gul and perhaps 
 creating a scandal. Henceforth I hold the threads of 
 these underhand intrigues : I am about to catch my 
 rival in his own trap and mislead him as much as I 
 please. 
 
 These reflections calmed me a little. After all, would 
 it not be insane for me to lose my temper about a rivalry 
 which, all said and done, was only one of the innumer- 
 able incidents which I had foreseen as consequences of 
 Kondje-Gul's beauty? Such beauty would of course 
 attract passionate admiration wherever she went. Good 
 heavens ! what would become of me if I took any more 
 notice of Kiusko than of the rest of them ? Besides, 
 being informed now of all his movements, I was in a 
 position to intervene v>-henever it became necessary to 
 put an end to his hostile projects.
 
 260 MY UNCLE BABBASSOU. 
 
 A great worry Las como upon me, my friend. 
 I must tell you that there are some barracks in the 
 Rue de Babylone ; from which it follows that a great 
 many officers lodge iu the vicinity. Moreover, the garden 
 of my house, although enclosed by a wall on the boule- 
 vard side, is not sufficiently screened to prevent daring 
 eyes from peering into it from various neighbouring 
 \Nindows. 
 
 Now, as a few days of sunshine had favoured us with 
 very mild weather, my houris did not fail to go and 
 stroll about the lawns. Naturally enough they attracted 
 the attention of some indiscreet persons whose curiosity 
 had been quickened by the apparent mystery of this 
 closed house, and by all the gossip in the neighbourhood 
 about " the Turk." It also happens that the house 
 adjoining mine is tenanted by the colonel, whence it 
 results that from morn to eve, there is a constant coming 
 aud going of sergeant-majors, lieutenants and captains, 
 who rival one another in casting fascinating glances upon 
 this corner of Mahomet's paradise. 
 
 I must do my houris the justice to say that they 
 do not show themselves unveiled ; still I will leave you to 
 imagine the agitation which they cause among the whole 
 regimental staff. 
 
 All this was certainly but an inconvenience which 
 pure chance threw in my way, amid my methodical expe- 
 riments with the new manners and customs of which I 
 wish to show the superiority. It would not have been 
 fitting for a sincere psychologist to convert a purely 
 adventitious difficulty into a defeat ; and the removal of
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 261 
 
 my harem would have furnished a specious argument 
 for some detractor of my doctrines who would not have 
 failed to seize hold of this slight practical obstacle in 
 order to raise a controversy. Then, too, I should have 
 been violating human dignity and confessing the fragility 
 of my system of social renovation if I had so lowered 
 myself as to completely sequestrate the women after the 
 fashion of some vile Asiatic satrap. 
 
 To be brief, I stood firm; and I conscientiously 
 instructed Mohammed, who was already alarmed, not 
 to interfere with the freedom of their diversions in the 
 garden. 
 
 Being confident in the healthy efi"ects of an application 
 of the immortal principles, I had ceased to busy myself 
 about this affair, when, as I arrived in the evening 
 three days ago, I saw Mohammed hasten to me, looking 
 scared. With signs of acute emotion, he begged of me 
 to hear him privately, having an important communication 
 to make. 
 
 I entered his room where I invited him to unbosom 
 himself. 
 
 He then informed me — in a tone of genuine despair, 
 I will admit — that the honour of the harem and also 
 his own were terribly compromised. In point of fact, 
 he had during the day surprised Zouhra at her window 
 corresponding by signs with a young and superb noble- 
 man who had come to one of the windows of the neigh- 
 bouring house. This audacious lover, judo^ng by his 
 military uniform, bedizened with gold lace, must at the 
 least be a muchir or general.
 
 262 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 Had a thunderbolt fallen at Mohammed's feet it cer- 
 tainly would not have caused him greater consternation. 
 The unfortunate fellow did not seem to doubt for one 
 moment -what punishment awaited him. But I reas- 
 sured him, for as you may well suppose, with my system 
 this useless practice is destined to disappear as being 
 superfluous : the dignified position of eunuch not being 
 compatible with our laws. However, under the circum- 
 stances, I did not think that I could dispense with open- 
 ing a serious inquiry concerning this offence which, 
 according to Mohammed, had been perpetrated repeatedly 
 for some days past. Even letters, thrown over the walls, 
 had been exchanged. 
 
 On the morrow then, I repaired to the house before 
 the hour usually selected for this correspondence, and 
 placing myself on the upper floor, I waited, screened by 
 a curtain, thanks to which I could watch the manoeuvres 
 of the accomplices, at my ease. Mohammed was moan- 
 ing like a fallen man, deprived of his grandeur and 
 dishonoured. I soon saw Zouhra appear, charmingly 
 adorned and carrying a nosegay in her hand ; but the 
 other window, which had been indicated to mo, remained 
 unoccupied. After ten minutes or so she became restless 
 and began to pace up and down her room in a way that 
 conclusively proved her impatience. 
 
 Provided w4th a good opera- glass I carefully watched 
 her goings-on. 
 
 Nearly half an hour elapsed. There was still nobody 
 at the other window. Mohammed, who became more 
 and more downcast, was beginning to fear that he would
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 263 
 
 be unable to prove to me the full extent of my disgrace, 
 when suddenly the s\Yift approach of my houri to her 
 window betokened something fresh. She lowered her 
 nosegay by way of saluting, and my glasses were at 
 once turned to the direction in which she was darting 
 her glances. 
 
 On the third floor of the colonel's house I could see a 
 splendid drum-major in full uniform, with large epau- 
 lets, his chest bedizened with broad gold braid and his 
 hand resting upon his heart. As the room was not 
 high enough to accommodate the lofty plume towering 
 above his bear-skin, my rival was leaning half out of the 
 window, and his tricolour insignium seemed to pierce 
 the sky. 
 
 I remained dazzled at the sight of him : he ghstened 
 like the sun ! 
 
 With Zouhra it had been love at first sight. The 
 pantomimic business gradually began on both sides ; on 
 the girl's part it was naive and still restrained ; on the 
 drum-major's, ardent and passionate, though now and 
 then he struck a contemplative attitude. He showed 
 her a letter and she showed him another one, which she 
 held in readiness. The sight made a flush rise to 
 Mohammed's brow. 
 
 In presence of such avowals doubt was no longer 
 possible. The drum-major soon became emboldened 
 and raised the tips of his fingers to his lips. His kisses 
 journeyed through space; and then with his hands 
 clasped he begged of Zouhra to return them. 
 
 I must confess that the wretched girl defended herself
 
 264 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 for a few minutes with bashful reserve. But she was so 
 pressed and implored that at last I saw her weaken, uud 
 anxious and hesitating, she yielded. 
 
 I was betrayed ! 
 
 Mohanmicd sank down, uttering a plaintive moan. 
 For my own part I thought of my uncle's misfortune. 
 Was it fate ? 
 
 However, my uncle is not the only man who comes 
 from Marseilles; I also come from that city, and 
 although I am merely his ncphcAv, I have at times 
 enough of his hot disposition to feel as he felt after 
 similar strokes of fate. Having been drawn into his 
 irregular orbit, passing through the same phases as he 
 passed through, I must expect that nothing will ever 
 happen to me in the same way as it would happen to 
 others, himself excepted. Thus the similarity of our 
 adventures — the drum-major in my case taking the place 
 of my uncle's Jean Bonaffe, — ought not to have surprised 
 me ; it should have been foreseen like a philosophical 
 contingency previously inscribed in the book of destiny. 
 And, indeed, to tell the truth, I should have considered 
 the slightest departure from the precise law of fate 
 illogical. 
 
 However, I was either in a bad disposition of mind 
 or I had been too suddenly and speedily awakened from 
 the presumptuous quietude into which I had sunk, for 
 I will admit to you that on thinking over my case, I 
 experienced at the moment a singular feeling of astonish- 
 ment. 
 
 Horns are like teeth, a witty woman once said : they
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 265 
 
 hurt while they are coming, but afterwards one manages 
 to put up with them ! 
 
 True as this remark of an experienced person may 
 be, yet having my own ideas as to these vain appendages 
 which I could not prevent from sprouting ; and being, 
 moreover, sufficiently provided with proofs which I had 
 duly weighed, my first idea was to dart head first 
 athwart this intrigue in which my dishonour was a 
 certainty. Leaving Mohammed upon the divan where 
 he had stranded, I hastened by way of the stairs to the 
 guilty creature's room. 
 
 I softly opened the closed door, stepped gently over 
 the carpet, and approached her from behind in time to 
 catch her just as she had one hand on her heart and 
 the other on her lips. 
 
 She gave a little shriek, while the drum-major, on 
 seeing me appear so suddenly, made a gesture of 
 despair. Then he drew back with such haste that his 
 plume caught against the wall above the window, with 
 the result that his bearskin was knocked off, and turning 
 a sommersault fell into the courtyard. 
 
 Zouhra thereupon gave another shriek. 
 
 All this had occurred with the rapidity of a flash of 
 lightning. My rival, closing his window, had dis- 
 appeared like a jack-in-the-box. 
 
 We were alone. 
 
 " Ah ! ha ! " I then said to the unworthy creature, 
 " so this is your conduct " 
 
 She answered nothing ; she still hoped, no doubt, that 
 she would be able to deny the facts, with the brazen
 
 266 MY UNCLE BARDASSOU. 
 
 assurance of the woman who, although surprised in the 
 act, puts on a grand air, and waxes wrathful as at an 
 insult. 
 
 ** Who was that man up there," I resumed, ** with 
 whom you were corresponding ? " 
 
 "A man!" she finally answered with her strong 
 Turkish accent which I will spare you. " I don't know 
 what you mean — I don't know any men — I have never 
 seen any ! " 
 
 "But he was at that window — there." 
 
 " Well, what does that prove ? " she retorted. " Docs 
 that concern me ? Can I prevent people from coming 
 to their windows ? " 
 
 "No, but when they arc there you might prevent 
 yourself from making signs to them ; and especially 
 from returning the kisses they send to you." 
 
 " Signs, I ? I made signs ! " she exclaimed. " Ah ! 
 that is really too bad ! Who do you take me for 
 then ? " 
 
 *' Why, I surprised you, and I stayed your hand 
 when you had your fingers raised to your lips." 
 
 " Well, can't I put my fingers to my lips now ? 
 What, am I not to have the right to make a gesture, 
 without accounting for it, without being insulted ? Did 
 any one ever see a woman treated in such an odious 
 fashion ? Well, tie me up then ! " 
 
 You are acquainted with women's tactics, my dear 
 Louis : they are always the same in such cases. I put 
 a stop to it all after letting her deny the facts. 
 
 " Come, come," I said to her. " This is not tho
 
 MY UNCLE BAKBASSOU. 267 
 
 time for you to play tlie part of a persecuted victim. 
 For the last half hour I have been watching you from 
 behind those curtains. I saw everything — with my 
 opera-glass," I added, showing her the glass in proof of 
 my assertion. 
 
 Struck by this victorious demonstration she stood 
 there in consternation. For a moment I enjoyed the 
 effect I had produced and then continued : 
 
 "I saw the letter which he showed you, and the one 
 which you have in your pocket — I can still see a bit of 
 it peeping out." 
 
 On hearing this she became very red ; and with 
 incredible swiftness drevr forth the incriminating missive, 
 which she tore into a hundred pieces. 
 
 "All right," said I. "It would seem then that you 
 had written something very compromising to that 
 soldier, whom you have never met and whom you don't 
 know." 
 
 " It was a letter for the modiste," she replied with 
 assumed indignation. 
 
 ** Yes, and you no doubt wanted him to deliver it," I 
 retorted in an ironical strain. 
 
 This last bitter dart went home and set her beside 
 herself. She assumed a superb attitude. 
 
 *'I shall not give you any explanation," she said. 
 "Believe whatever you please. Do whatever you 
 choose. As for myself, I knov/ what I have to do now. 
 Since I am spied upon and treated in this fashion I 
 have had enough of leading such a life — I prefer to put 
 an end to it at once ! "
 
 268 MY rNci.F, BAimASSor. 
 
 " And how do you purpose putting an end to it ? " I 
 resumed. "It will perhaps be necessary to consult me a 
 little bit on that subject." 
 
 " But you are neither my husband nor my brother, 
 my dear fellow," she exclaimed in the most airy way 
 imaginable, " and I don't suppose that you are going to 
 talk to mo any more of those stupid Turkish rights. 
 We arc in Paris and I know that I am free ! " 
 
 " "Well, where will your freedom take you ? " 
 
 ** Oh ! don't worry yourself about me — I should not 
 have any trouble to secure a husband. Do you imagine, 
 my dear fellow, that I should be embarrassed to find a 
 'position ? " 
 
 This characteristic word showed me that she was far 
 more completely initiated than I had suspected. 
 
 "And you expect," I retorted, "to obtain this 
 position from that fine nobleman, eh ? " 
 
 These disdainful words exasperated her ; she lost all 
 self-restraint and burnt her ships. 
 
 "That fine nobleman is a duke!" she exclaimed 
 vehemently. " I will not allow you to insult him. And 
 since you dare to threaten me, I will tell you that I love 
 him and that he adores me, and that he offers to marry 
 me and promises me eveiy bliss — " 
 
 In spite of my misfortune I could not help laughing 
 at this fiery indignant declaration to which Zouhra's 
 Turkish accent imparted an irresistibly comic effect. 
 My gaiety brought her anger to a climax. 
 
 Frenzied, decided upon everything, she darted to a 
 chiffonier, drew out an illuminated card, upon which
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 269 
 
 two doves were pecking one another, and threw it at me 
 with a queenly air, exclaiming : 
 
 ** There, my dear fellow, you will see if I still have 
 any need of you ! " 
 
 I picked up the card and read what was written 
 upon it : 
 
 LEDUC (D'ARPAJON), 
 Qrum-J^ajor of the 79th I^egt. of the Line. 
 
 To the divine ZOUHI^ji — Everlasting- Love ! 
 
 It would be useless for me to describe to you the end 
 of the scene. 
 
 When I had laughed enough, I allowed myself the 
 delightful pleasure of undeceiving my faithless houri by 
 explaining to her her unfortunate mistake as to the 
 rank of her conqueror, whom she had mentally endowed 
 with a fortune in keeping with the height of his plume.* 
 I destroyed her di-eam of every bliss by reducing it to so 
 much bliss as was procurable with a full pay of a frauc^ 
 and a haliper diem. 
 
 As I made these crushing revelations you might have 
 seen her gradually sinking and collapsmg, with her 
 
 * Zouhra with ber imperfect knowledge of French had concluded 
 that Leduc (D'Arpajou) meant "the Duke of Arpajon "^whereas, in 
 reality, Leduc, a single word, was the drum-major's name ; D'Arpajon 
 implj'ing that he came from, or belonged to, the little market town of 
 Arpajou, not far from Paris. — Trans. 
 
 p
 
 270 MY TNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 pretty purple lips just parted, and her gazelle's eyes 
 staring with frightened astonishment. She was the 
 picture of consternation. 
 
 All at once she darted towards mc and abruptly 
 caught me in her arms. 
 
 ** Ah ! it is you that I love ! — you that I love ! " she 
 exclaimed in a pathetic tone amid her transports. 
 
 I had some difficulty in releasing myself from her 
 passionate embrace ; still I eventually succeeded in 
 doing so, but only to confront a fresh crisis of despair, 
 whereupon I immediately confided Zouhra to the care of 
 her maids. 
 
 Then, without any further explanations, which would 
 have been superfluous, I -o-ithdrcw. 
 
 Of course I am perfectly aware that j-ou will trj' to 
 derive from this mishap some argument intended to 
 triumph over my discomfiture. 
 
 I would have you remark, however, that you have no 
 right to seize upon a general fact — for infidelity is in- 
 herent in woman's nature — and draw deductions respect- 
 ing my particular case. All that you can reasonably 
 conclude is that the man who has four ^-ives is bound 
 to be deceived four times as often as the man who has 
 but one wife. 
 
 That is certainly a weighty argument, I confess. 
 
 However all that may be, my misfortune having been 
 made evident to mc, and Zouhra being banished from my 
 heart, it was necessary that I should come to a decision 
 with regard to her.
 
 MY UNCLE BAKBASSOU. 271 
 
 The most simple course was to consult my uncle ; his 
 own experience in a similar mishap pointed him out as 
 the best of advisers. 
 
 He listened to me, stroking his beard with the some- 
 what derisive phlegm of a practical man, who is not 
 sorry to find that he has some companions in misfortune. 
 It even seemed to me that I could detect a touch of 
 malicious satisfaction, as if he still resented my conduct 
 as an heir. 
 
 When I had finished he quietly remarked : 
 
 *' What an old stupid you are ! You should have let 
 her get married without saying anything ! In that way 
 you would have saved us the expense of sending her 
 back home again." 
 
 *' Well, unfortunately it's too late now for that, uncle," 
 I answered. 
 
 To be brief, as the Turkish law does not allow the 
 desertion or dismissal of a cadine unless she be provided 
 for, Zouhra is to be exiled to Ehodes. The pasha has 
 established there for his own use, a kind of Botany Bay, 
 which is a place both of retirement and rustication for 
 his invalided wives who have lost their freshness with 
 age. The place is an old abbey with spacious gardens 
 planted with mimosas and orange trees, and was 
 purchased by auction for some ten thousand francs. 
 The island is delightful, and provisions are to be had 
 there for nothing, according to what my uncle tells me. 
 Judge for yourself : fowls cost twopence each, and every- 
 thing else is to be had at correspondingly low prices. 
 There are already eleven women there, and it docs not
 
 272 
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 cost more than nine thousand francs a year to keep them 
 all on a proper footing, including the board and wages 
 of their servants. 
 
 Find me among om* own boasted institutions any ono 
 to be compared with that of my uncle — an institution 
 established to provide for similar contingencies, and the 
 arrangements of which are equally good. 
 
 C^vSf^XTk^ ^
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 For the last three days that unworthy girl Zouhra 
 has been on her way to Rhodes. 
 
 Well, what does that matter ? I admit that I have 
 only three wives left, that's all. And what of that ? Is 
 it fitting that yon, my dearest friend, should try to make 
 me feel ashamed of it ? 
 
 While exercising your facetiousness, it seems to mo 
 that you especially level your irony at certain other 
 worries necessarily occasioned by the position of Kondje- 
 Gul and what you call the wooing of the "fierce Kiusko." 
 Ye Gods! so I have a rival. Really, yoii make me 
 laugh ! 
 
 I fancy, however, that all this will inevitably end in a
 
 274 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 duel between us, which indeed, as time goes on, seems 
 to mo quite unavoidable. 
 
 Oue evening -uhen I arrived rather late at Teral 
 House by reason of one of those tedious dinners with 
 which Anna Campbell's leaves-out were celebrated, I 
 found Koudje-Gul quite downcast, and her eyes red with 
 crying. I had left her a few hours before in the best of 
 spirits, and delighted about a pretty little pony which I 
 had given her in the morning, and which we had been 
 trying. Surprised and alarmed at such a sudden grief 
 as she evinced, and which had caused her to shed tears, 
 I anxiously questioned her about it. 
 
 Directly I began speaking to her I saw that she wanted 
 to conceal from me the cause of her affliction : but I 
 pressed her. 
 
 "No, it's nothing," she said, "only a story which 
 mamma told me." 
 
 But when she tried to smile, a sob broke out from 
 her lips, and, bursting into tears, she threw her arm 
 round my neck, nestling her head on my bosom. 
 
 *' Good heavens ! what's the matter, dear ? " I 
 exclaimed, quite alarmed. " Tell me all about it, I 
 entreat you. What has happened ? And why are you 
 crying like this ? " 
 
 She could not answer me. Her bosom heaved, and 
 she seized my hand and covered it with kisses, as if in 
 order to demonstrate her love for mo in the midst of her 
 distress. 
 
 I succeeded in calming her ; and then, making her 
 sit down by my side, with her hands in mine, I pressed
 
 JMY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 275 
 
 her to confess her troubles to me. Her hesitation 
 increased my alarm : she turned her eyes away from me, 
 and I could see that she feared to reply to me. At last, 
 quite frantic with anxiety, I resorted to my marital 
 authority. 
 
 Then, with child-like submission, she related to me 
 the following strange story, which filled me with 
 astonishment. 
 
 After luncheon her mother had joined her in the 
 drawing-room, when in the course of a general conver- 
 sation she began to speak about their native country 
 and their family, and about the pleasure it would be for 
 them to revisit them after so long an absence. Kondje- 
 Gul let her go on in this strain, thinking that she was 
 just indulging in one of those dreams of a far-off future 
 which the imagination is fond of cherishing, however 
 impossible their reahsation may be. But soon she was 
 very much surprised by noticing that her mother was 
 discussing this scheme as one which might be carried 
 out at an early date. She then questioned her about it. 
 At last, after a lot of fencing, Madame Murrah informed 
 her that she had learnt a marriage was arranged between 
 me and Anna Campbell, who had been betrothed to me 
 for a long while past ; also that this marriage would take 
 place in six months' time, and that I should have to go 
 away with my wife the day after the wedding. 
 
 The end of all these arrangements would be the 
 abandonment of Kondje-Gul. 
 
 I was dismayed by this unexpected revelation. The 
 
 plan of my marriage with Anna had remained a family 
 
 p 2
 
 276 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 secret, known only to my uncle, to herself, to my annt, 
 and to mo. How had it got to Madame Hurrah's ears? 
 I was unable to conceal my uneasiness. 
 
 " But this marriage is true then ? " continued my 
 poor Kondje with an anxious look in my face. 
 
 "Nothing is true but our love ! " I replied, distressed 
 by her fears ; " nothing is true but this, that I mean to 
 love you always, and always to live with you as I do 
 now." 
 
 ** But this marriage? " she again repeated. 
 
 It was impossible for me to escape any longer from the 
 necessity of making a confession which I had intended 
 to have prepared her for later on. 
 
 " Listen, my darling," I said, taking her by the 
 hands, "and above all things trust me as you listen to 
 me ! I love you, I love no one but you ; you are my 
 wife, my happiness, my life. Do you believe me ? " 
 
 "Yes, dear, I believe you. But what about her?" 
 she added in a tremble. " What about Anna Campbell ? 
 Are you going to marry her ? " 
 
 " Come," I said, wishing to begin by soothing her 
 fears; "if, as so often happens in your own country, I 
 were obliged, if only in order to assure our own happi- 
 ness, to make another marriage, would not you under- 
 stand that this was only a sacrifice which I owed to my 
 uncle if he required it of me — a family arrangement, in 
 fact, which could not separate us from each other ? 
 "What have you to fear so long as I only love you ? Did 
 you trouble yourself about Hadidje or Zouhra ? " 
 
 "Oh, but they were not Christians ! Anna Campbell
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 277 
 
 would be your real wife ; and your religion and laws 
 would enjoin you to love her." 
 
 " No," I exclaimed, " neither my religion nor my laws 
 could change my heart or undo my love for you. It is 
 my duty to protect your life and make it a happy one ; 
 for are not you also my ^vife ? Why should you alarm 
 yourself about an obligation of mine which, if we Uved 
 in your country, would not disturb your confidence in 
 me ? Anna Campbell is not really in love with me : we 
 are only like two friends, prepared to unite with each 
 other in a conventional union, such as you may see 
 many a couple around us enter upon — an association 
 of fortunes, in which the only personal sentiments 
 demanded are reciprocal esteem. My dear girl, what is 
 there to be jealous of ? Don't you know that you will 
 always be everything to me ? " 
 
 Poor Kondje-Gul listened to these somewhat strange 
 projects without the least idea of opposing them. Still 
 under the yoke of her native ideas, those Oriental pre- 
 judices in which she had been brought up were too 
 deeply grafted in her mind to permit of her being 
 rapidly converted by acquaintance with our sentiments 
 and usages — very illogical as they often appeared to 
 her mind — to a different view of woman's destiny. 
 According to her laws and her religion, I was her master. 
 She could never have entertained the possibility of her 
 refusing to submit to my will ; but I could see by the 
 tears in her eyes that this very touching submission and 
 resignation on her part was simply due to her devoted 
 self-control, and that she sujBfered cruelly by it. 
 
 " Come, why do you keep on crying ? " I continued,
 
 278 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 drawing her into my arms. **Do you doubt my love, 
 dear?" 
 
 *' Ob, no ! " sbc replied quickly. " How could I 
 mistrust you ? " 
 
 ** "Well, then, away with tbose tears ! " 
 
 "Yes," sbe said, giving me a kiss, "you arc right, 
 dear : I am very silly ! What can you expect of me ? 
 I am still half a barbarian, and am rather bewildered 
 with all I have learnt from you. There are still some 
 things in my nature which I can't understand. Why it 
 is that I feel more jealous of Anna Campbell than I was 
 of Hadidje, of Nazli, or of Zouhra, I can't tell you ; but 
 I am afraid — she is a Christian, and perhaps you will 
 love her better than me. I feel that the laws and 
 customs of your country will recover their hold over you 
 and will separate us. That odious law which you once 
 told me of, w^hich would enfranchise me, so you said, and 
 make me my own mistress if I desired to leave you, 
 often comes back to my mind like a bad dream. It 
 seems to me that this imaginary liberty, which I don't 
 want at any price, would become a reality if you get 
 married." 
 
 I reassured her on this point. There is a much 
 more persuasive eloquence in the heart than in the vain 
 deductions of logic. During this extraordinary scene, 
 in which my poor Kondje-Gul's mind was alarmed by 
 the conflict going on between her own beliefs and what 
 she knew of our society, I was quite sincere in my 
 illusions concerning the moral compromise which, I 
 fancied, was imposed upon mo as an absolute duty. 
 Singular as it may all appear to you, I had already been
 
 are UNCLE BARBASSOU. 279 
 
 subjected too long to the influence of the harem not to 
 have become gradually permeated by the Oriental ideas. 
 The tie which bound me to Kondje-Gul had acquired 
 a kind of sacred and legitimate character in my eyes. 
 
 However this may have been, her revelation disclosed 
 an impending danger. It was clear to me that the news 
 of the marriage arranged between Anna Campbell and 
 myself could only have reached ^Madame Murrah through 
 Kiusko. His relationship with my aunt had made him 
 a member of our family, and he had been acquainted 
 with our projects. I could easily understand that his 
 jealous instincts had penetrated one side of the secret 
 between Kondje and myself. He had at least guessed 
 that she loved me, and that I was an obstacle to the 
 attainment of his desires. He was followmg up his 
 object. He wished to destroy Kondje-Gul's hopes in 
 advance, by showing her that I was engaged to marry 
 another. 
 
 With my present certitude of his mean devices, I 
 began to wonder whether everything had been already 
 let out through slips of the tongue made by Madame 
 Murrah, in the course of those interviews which he had 
 obtained with her either by chance or by appointment. 
 For several days past I fancied I had remarked in him 
 an increased reserve of manner. It was possible that, 
 being convinced now of the futihty of his hopes, his 
 only object henceforth v/as to revenge himself on hia 
 rival by at least disturbing his feeling of security. 
 
 Yes ! you are quite right : I love her ! Why should
 
 280 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 you imagine I would wish to deny it, or dissemble it as 
 a weakness ? Did I ever tell you that the consequence 
 of indulgence in the pleasures of harem loves would 
 be to drown the heart, the soul, and the aspirations 
 towards the ideal for the sole advantage of the senses ? 
 "Where you seem to see the defeat of one vanquished, I 
 find the triumph of my happiness and the enchantment 
 of a dream which I am realizing during my waking 
 hours. Compare ^\-ith this secret and charming bond 
 of union which attaches me to Koudje-Gul, the prosaic 
 and vulgar character of those common intrigues which 
 one cynically permits the whole world to observe, or of 
 those illicit connections which the hypocritical remnant 
 of virtue with us constrains us to conceal, like crimes, 
 in the darkness. Deceptive frenzies they are, the 
 enjoyment of which always involves of necessity the 
 degradation of the woman and the contempt of the 
 lover ! You may preach and dogmatise as much as you 
 like in your endeavours to uphold the superiority of our 
 habits over those of the East, which you declare to be 
 barbarous ; you will never succeed in doing anything 
 more than entangling yourself in your own paradox. 
 
 The fact is that in the refined epoch, so-called, in 
 which we live, every description of non-legitimized union 
 in love becomes a libertinage, and the woman who 
 abandons herself to it becomes a profane idol. Whether 
 she be a duchess, or a foolish maid, you may write 
 verses over her fall, but you cannot forget it. The 
 worm is in the fruit. My love for Kondje-Gul knows no 
 such shame, and needs no guilty excuses. Proud of
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 281 
 
 her slavish submission, she can love me without dero- 
 gating in the least from her own self-respect. In 
 Kondje's eyes, her tender embraces are legitimate, her 
 glory is the conquest of my heart. I am her master, 
 and she abandons herself to me without transgressing 
 any duty. Being a daughter of Asia, she fulfils her 
 destiny according to the moral usages and the beliefs 
 of her native land : to these she remains faithful in 
 loving me : her religion has no different rule, her virtue 
 no different law. 
 
 That is why I love her, and why my heart is possessed 
 by such a frank and open loyalty towards her. You 
 speak to me about the future, and ask me what will 
 happen when the time comes for my marriage to Anna 
 Campbell ? Well, the future is still in the distance, 
 my dear fellow ; when it comes upon me we will see 
 what I will do ! Meanwhile I love and content myself 
 with loving ! 
 
 "Will that satisfy j'ou ? Oh yes, I confess my errors, 
 I abjure my pagan vanities, and my sultanic principles. 
 I give up Mahomet ! I have found my Damascus road. 
 True love has manifested itself to me in all its glory, 
 shining through the clouds ; it has inspired me with its 
 
 grace, and my false idols lie prostrate in the dust 
 
 Would you like me to make you a present of my harem ? 
 If this offer suits you, send me a line, and I will forward 
 what remains of it to you with all despatch : you shall 
 then give it my news, for it is six weeks now since I 
 have seen my two sultanas. Only make haste — in eight 
 days' time they are to return to Constantinople. The
 
 282 
 
 MY UNCLE BARBA8S0U. 
 
 blessings of civilization are decidedly banes to these 
 little animals. Liberty in Paris would soon ruin tbem. 
 I have provided for tlicm, and am sending them away. 
 
 I mention all this to show you in what happiness I 
 bask. Reassured by my affection, and confident in the 
 future, my Kondje-Gul has recovered that sweet serenity 
 which makes our love such a delicious dream. As the 
 fierce Kiusko is now unmasked, wo laugh at his foolish 
 plots as you may well imagine !
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 My aunt Gretchen van Cloth is in Paris ! 
 
 Well, why do you assume your facetious tone on reading 
 that ? I know you and can guess your thoughts. 
 
 After all, Barhassou is a pasha, is it still necessary to 
 remind you of that ? 
 
 "Well, the other day my uncle informed me that he 
 would take me homo to dine with him. I repaired to 
 the boulevard at the appointed hour and we started in 
 his brougham for Passy. On the way he told me what 
 it was necessary I should know. We reached a rather 
 nice looking house in the Eue Rayuouard, from which 
 you can see the boats floating down the Seine. There
 
 281 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 is a railing and a little garden in front. On hearing 
 our footsteps, a young lady whom I at once recognised, 
 from the recollections of my childhood, hurried to the 
 door. 
 
 " Kiss your aunt," my uncle said to me : and I did 
 as I was told. 
 
 "We then entered a modest little drawing-room, the 
 common-place aspect of which, reminding one of fur- 
 nished apartments, was improved hy its general neatness 
 and by a few bunches of flowers displayed in sundry odd 
 vases. Three youngsters, the smallest of whom was 
 between three and four years old, were eating bread and 
 butter there. My uncle saluted each of them with a 
 hurried kiss, and then they ran off to their nurse. 
 
 My aunt Gretchen is just reaching her thirty-fourth 
 birthday. She confesses to her ago. If she did not 
 come from Amsterdam she ought to have been born there. 
 She has blossomed like a flower among the tulips, and 
 she looks like a Rubens, in that painter's more sober 
 style, as in the portrait of the Friesland woman, with 
 the prim pink and white flesh of the healthful natures 
 of the North. You realise that good blood flows quietly 
 and temperately beneath the pleasantly plump charms 
 of this worthy Dutchwoman, who claims only her due, 
 but is desirous of getting it. And she does get it. She 
 has luxuriant light chestnut hair, and a very attractive 
 face with the smiling, placid, and even somewhat simple 
 expression of a good housewife, Avho is as expert in 
 bringing up her children as in making pastry and pine- 
 apple jam. Being of a gay and amiable disposition, she
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 285 
 
 greeted her husband with the ordinary, hearty aflfection of 
 a woman who has never been a widow. After bringing 
 him his foxskin cap she estabhshed him in a comfortable 
 armchair, and then mixed his absinthe for him. I guessed 
 that the captain was returning to old habits, with the 
 dignified composure which he displays in everything. 
 
 They began to talk in Dutch, and as I looked at them 
 without understanding it, my uncle said to me : 
 
 " Your aunt tells me that her Idtchen range is too 
 small to make any good souffles, and it worries her on 
 your account." 
 
 " Oh ! my aunt is too kind to disturb herself about 
 such a trifling matter," I replied ; "the pleasure I feel in 
 seeing her again amply compensates me for this slight 
 mishap." 
 
 "Well, instead of the souffles you shall have some 
 wafelen and some pofertjcs ! " quickly rejoined my 
 aunt with her kindly smile. 
 
 I remarked that she spoke French much better than 
 formerly. However, probably on account of her voyages 
 with the captain, who recruited his crews at Toulon, her 
 Dutch accent has now become a ProYen9al one. 
 
 The dinner was delightful, substantial and plentiful, 
 like the charms of my aunt, who was victorious aloog the 
 whole line, and notably with the spicy sauce of &gehakken 
 schol, which was excellently baked. 
 
 The conversation was simple and of a free and easy 
 character, m}- uncle talking with all the freedom of a 
 man who has a quiet conscience. He was as much at his 
 ease in his Dutch household as any good citizen could
 
 286 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 be, and I perceived that my aunt know absolutely nothing 
 about him, unless it were the important position that 
 he occupied in the spice trade. She gave him some 
 news about the great doings of the Van Hutten firm of 
 Rotterdam and Antwerp, in which he seemed to take a 
 particular interests It seems, too, that Peter van Schloss, 
 junior, is married to a young lady of Dordrecht, who 
 presented him with twins after six months of matri- 
 mony, a circumstance which my uncle found very natural. 
 Old Joshua Schlittcrmans, having been utterly ruined 
 by the failure of Gaunton Brothers of New York, has 
 now taken to drink. 
 
 When the coffee was served (Dirkie had brought it 
 from Amsterdam, purchasing it on the Damplaatz, at 
 the corner of Kalver Straat), my aunt filled a long por- 
 celain pipe which my uncle took from her hands and 
 lighted, puffing out clouds of smoke, with the serene 
 gravity of some worthy burgomaster at home. "We drank 
 some schicdam and two sorts of dry cura9oa. ^Vhile my 
 aunt sat knitting at the table she questioned me as to my 
 occupations, asking me if I were working in my uncle's 
 establishment; and upon my replying affirmatively to 
 her, she gave mo some very good advice, telling me 
 to be very industrious so that I might take my uncle's 
 place later on. 
 
 At half-past ten we rose from table and went into 
 the drawing-room. Dirkie got everything ready for a 
 game of dominoes, and they began to play in the Dutch 
 fashion. My uncle kept the markers, and noted the 
 points made : he himself speedily scored between three
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 287 
 
 and four hundred, and then, feeling satisfied \sith his 
 success, he said : 
 
 "Well, give us a little music ! " 
 
 My aunt did not require any pressing, but went to the 
 piano in a very good-humoured manner. She opened 
 the top so that the instrument might give out a louder 
 sound, then passed behind and arranged everything; 
 and suddenly I heard the splendid introduction of 
 Haydn's seventh symphony in F major bursting forth, 
 while my aunt turned the handle with rare skill and 
 gracefulness. (I recognised the superb instrument 
 mentioned in the fourth legacy of the famous will.) 
 
 I must admit that if my aunt played the minuet 
 rather quickly, she executed the andante in a very delicate 
 style, and the scherzo and the finale were both dashed 
 off in a spirited way. At the last chord, I applauded 
 with sincere enthusiasm. 
 
 " She plays very well, doesn't she ? " my uncle quietly 
 asked me, in a modest tone. "You, who are a 
 connoisseur — " 
 
 " Oh ! she plays perfectly," I rejoined, without 
 stinting my praise. 
 
 "And besides she puts expression into it," he 
 resumed. " One can see that she feels what she 
 plays." 
 
 My aunt kissed him for this compliment, which he 
 paid her with the gravest assurance. 
 
 " Ah ! you are still a flatterer ! " she said to him. 
 
 As may readily be guessed, some of Strauss's waltzes 
 and two or three polkas followed the classical sympho- 
 nies, together with the overtures of " Don Giovanni "
 
 288 UY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 and " Fra Diavolo." It was really a perfect concert till 
 midnight. But by that time my aunt's plump arm 
 being somewhat tired it was necessary to bring the 
 entertainment to a close. 
 
 Now, my dear fellow, I am not one of those who give 
 way to the stupid prejudices of our foolish traditions ; 
 still less am I one of those who seek to evade frivolous 
 objections, or fight shy of plain and open discussion. I 
 have myself officially abandoned polygamy, that is true 
 — but you are meditating another attack upon my uncle 
 — I see it and I feel it— and from the depths of your 
 troglodytic intellect you intend to drag out some 
 common-place hackneyed argument accompanied by 
 frivolous sarcasms, and directed, not at the point in 
 question, but all round it. As you are even incapable 
 of understanding your own so-called virtue in its true 
 and primitive sense, you will no doubt repeat your 
 usual stupid remarks, denouncing my uncle's conduct 
 as scandalous. 
 
 Let us go straight to the moral point, without haggling 
 over words. M}' uncle, who has the advantage of being 
 a Turk, distributes himself between his two wives, like a 
 worthy husband faithful to his duty. Do you presume 
 to blame him ? In that case what have you to say to 
 our friends A. B. C. D. E. F (I spare you the rest of the 
 alphabet, and it is understood that the reader and present 
 company are excepted), our friends, I say, who deceive 
 their wives for the sake of hussies who have several pro- 
 tectors, as they are well aware ? It is not a question here 
 of fighting on behalf of the holy shrine of monogamy.
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 289 
 
 With how many faithful, irreproachable husbands are 
 you acquainted ? Those hussies are mistresses, you will 
 say to me ! I know it : that is to say, they are females 
 who belong to everybody. The question is settled : my 
 uncle is a virtuous man by the side of our friends. As 
 he is incapable of such vulgar and promiscuous intrigues 
 he has a supplementary household, that is all ! Like 
 the prudent traveller who is acquainted with the length 
 of the journey he judiciously prepares relays. 
 
 Compare that family gathering at my aunt Van Cloth's 
 with those unhealthy stolen pleasures of debauched 
 husbands who feel ashamed and tremble with the fear 
 of being surprised. My uncle is a patriarch and takes 
 no part in the licentiousness of our times. So much 
 for this subject. 
 
 I have just received a most unforeseen blow, my dear 
 Louis, and even while I write have scarcely recovered 
 from the alarm of a horrible machination from which 
 we were only saved by a miracle. 
 
 I told you about my poor Konde-Gul's passing grief 
 on account of her mother's foolish ideas. Reassured as 
 to the future b}'- my vows and promises, she was too 
 amenable to my influence to refuse to submit to a trial 
 which I was forced by duty to prepare her for. Proud 
 at the thought that she was sacrificing her jealousy for 
 me, sacrificing herself for my happiness, her tears having 
 been dried up by my kisses, I found her the day after 
 this cruel blow to her heart as expansive and confiding 
 as if no cloud had darkened our sky.
 
 290 MY UNCLE BARBASSOD. 
 
 But a very few days after I was quite surprised to 
 observe a sort of melancholy resignation about her. I 
 attributed this trouble to some of the childish worries 
 which her mother's temper occasionally gave her. How- 
 ever, after several days had passed like this, I came to 
 the conclusion that the cause of her sadness must be 
 something more than a transitory one, and that she was 
 harassed by some new grief which even my presence was 
 not sufficient to dissipate. By her replies to me, which 
 seemed to be pervaded by more than usual tenderness, 
 I judged that — in her fear of alarming me, no doubt, — 
 she wished to conceal from me the real cause of her 
 anxiety. 
 
 One evening at one of our little parties at the Mon- 
 tagues, which had begun as a concert, but was converted 
 by us, in our gay and sociable mood, into a dance, Maud 
 had trotted me oflf to make up a quadrille. Kondje-Gul, 
 who, as you know, never dances, had withdrawn into the 
 boudoir adjoining the drawing-room, where she was 
 looking through the albums. I suspected nothing, and 
 was engaged in a frivolous conversation with Maud, when 
 from where I stood, through the glass partition which 
 separated the two rooms, I noticed Kiusko come and sit 
 down by her side. It was natural enough that, seeing 
 her alone, he considered himself bound not to leave her 
 so, for that might have looked like a want of politeness 
 on his part. It seemed to me, moreover, from their 
 faces, that their conversation was upon indiflerent topics, 
 and was being conducted in that tone of ordinary friend- 
 liness which was usual between them.
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 291 
 
 He was turning over tlie pages of an album as he 
 talked to her. I had no reason to pay much attention 
 to this tete-a-tete, and was not even intending to follow 
 it, but once, near the end of the quadrille, my eyes being 
 again turned by chance in Kondje-Gul's direction, I saw 
 her rise up all of a sudden, as if something that Daniel 
 had said had excited her suddenly. I thought I saw her 
 blush, raising her head proudly and answering him in 
 an offended tone. 
 
 The dance being now over, I left Maud, and, agitated 
 by an anxious kind of feeling, walked up to the boudoir. 
 They were standing up, and Kiusko's back being turned 
 to the door, he did not see me enter. Kondje-Gul saw 
 me and said : 
 
 " Andre, come and give me your arm ! " 
 
 At this unusually bold request, Daniel could not 
 repress a gesture of astonishment, and cast a bewildered 
 glance at me. I advanced, and she seized my arm with 
 a convulsive movement, and addressed herself to my 
 rival : 
 
 *' This is the second time, sir, that you have declared 
 your love to me. Let me tell you why I decline it : I 
 am the slave of Monsieur Andre de Peyrade, and I love 
 him ! " 
 
 If a thunderbolt had fallen at Daniel's feet, it could 
 not have startled him more than this. He turned so 
 pale that I thought he was going to faint. He gazed at 
 both of us with a desperate and ferocious look, as if 
 some terrible thought was revolving in his mind. His 
 features were contracted into such a savage expression
 
 292 
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 that I instinctively placed myself between him and 
 Kondjo-Gul. But, all at once, frightened no doubt at 
 his own passion, ho gave one glance of despair and rage, 
 and fled from the room. Kondje-Gul was all of a 
 tremble. 
 
 ""SMiat has happened, then?" I asked her. 
 
 "I will tell you all about it," she answered, in a voice 
 still quivering with emotion. "I am going home with 
 my mother. Come after us as soon as we are off." 
 
 4m^Vv ^ 
 
 TT
 
 CHAPTER XYIL 
 
 Half an hour later I joined Kondje-Gul again at her 
 house. She had sent Fanny out of the room, and was 
 M^aiting for me. When she saw me, she threw her 
 arm round my neck, and the long-pent up tears seemed 
 to start from her eyes like a fountain. 
 
 " Good heavens ! " I exclaimed, " what is it, then? " 
 
 And taking her on my knees like a child, I held her 
 in my arms ; but she soon recovered her energy. 
 
 "Listen, dear," she said in a firm voice, "you must 
 forgive me for what I have just done : you must forgive 
 me for having concealed my thoughts and my troubles 
 from you, even at the risk of distressing you." 
 
 "I forgive you, everything," I answered immediately, 
 "go on, tell me quickly."
 
 294 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 " "Well, then ! For a whole week I have been deceiv- 
 ing you," she continued, " by telling you that I had no 
 troubles, and that I did not know the cause of that 
 sadness which I could not conceal from you. I was 
 afraid of making you angi-y with my mother, by confess- 
 ing to you that it was she who was tormenting me." 
 
 "Your mother! " I exclaimed: "and what had she 
 to say to you, then ? " 
 
 " You shall hear all," she said, with animation, 
 *' for I must justify myself for having kept a secret from 
 you. I daresay you remember," she continued, *' that 
 a fortnight ago she spoke to me about your marriage, 
 telling me that you were going to leave me." 
 
 " Yes, yes, I understand," I said. *' What then ? " 
 
 " My mother had made me promise to keep this reve- 
 lation a secret, because it was necessary, so she said, 
 that Count Kiusko should not suspect that we loved 
 each other. She said that he had expressly attributed 
 my refusal to become his wife to some hope which I 
 doubtless entertained of mariying you." 
 
 ** Well, go on; tell me what has occurred since." 
 
 " You know the state of trouble you found me in that 
 night. I could not hold back my tears, and you com- 
 manded me to tell you all. At last you reassured me 
 with so much warmth of feeling, that after that I did 
 not believe anyone but you. Quito happy at the thought 
 of sacrificing myself to your will, and to your peace of 
 mind, I left off thinking about my alarms, and regretted 
 them as an insult to our love ; I repeated to my mother 
 all your kind promises, and thought that I had set her
 
 MY UNCLE B.OIBASSOU. 295 
 
 mind at rest. Imagine my astonishment at hearing her, 
 a few days afterwards, return to the subject : she had seen 
 the count again, who had declared that your uncle would 
 disinherit you if you did not carry out his wishes." 
 
 " And did you believe all that ? " 
 
 "No," she replied promptly, ''for you had not told 
 me so ! But then my mother, seeing that I would only 
 believe you, changed her tactics : she spoke about Count 
 Kiusko, his wealth, and his love for me." 
 
 " She did that, did she ? " 
 
 " Oh, forgive her ! " she continued ; " she gets anxious 
 both on my account and her own. She is alarmed about 
 the future, and fancies she sees me deserted by you ! 
 Well, it was simply a cruel struggle for me, in which 
 my heart could not betray you. I suffered through it, 
 and that's all ! But three days ago, I don't know what 
 can have passed during your aunt's party, my mother, 
 on our way home, said to me in a decided manner that 
 she had resolved 'to live no longer among the infidels,' 
 and intended * to return to the land of the Faithful, in 
 order to expiate the great wrong she had committed by 
 living here.' 
 
 " I was dismayed at this resolution of hers. As she 
 based it upon our faith, I could not oppose her, for that 
 would have been a sacrilege, but I could at least invoke 
 her affection for me, and entreat her not to leave. Then, 
 while I was on my knees before her, and was kissing 
 her and crying, she startled me by saying : * You shall 
 not leave me ; for, when I go, I shall take you away 
 with me ' ! "
 
 296 MY UNCLE BATIBARSOU. 
 
 " "SVTiy, she must bo crazy ! " I exclaimed. 
 
 "Well, dear," added Kondjo-Gul, *''you can easily 
 understand what a thunderbolt this was to me ! I felt 
 it so painfully that I nearly swooned away. My mother 
 was alarmed and called for Fanny. The next day, I 
 attempted to prevail upon her to change her mind, 
 declaring that it would kill me to be separated from 
 you. I thought I had mollified her, for she kissed me 
 and said that all she cared about was my happiness. 
 But this evening, while we were in the carriage on our 
 way to Suzannah's, she spoke again to me about Count 
 Kiusko. I have a presentiment that the greatest 
 enemy to our love and happiness is that man ; and that 
 he it is who has been influencing my mother, hoping, no 
 doubt, that when separated from you I should no longer 
 be able to resist her wishes. 
 
 " Well, you know the rest, I had gone into the bou- 
 doir while you were dancing, when the count came and 
 sat down by my side. — ' Is it true that you are going 
 away ? ' he said to me, after a minute or so. * Who 
 could make you believe such a thing ? ' I replied coldly. 
 * Why, something your mother told me which seemed 
 to imply it.' I remained silent— he did not venture to 
 follow up the subject, and said nothing more for a few 
 minutes. I kept my eyes on a book which I was 
 looking through, for I felt that his eyes were fixed 
 upon me. * Perhaps j'ou will regret Andre a little,' he 
 continued, ' but what can you do ? He is not free, — and 
 besides, do you suppose he would have loved you ? * 
 ** At this question, the cruel irony of which wounded
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 297 
 
 me to tlie quick, I was possessed by some mad impulse, 
 I raised my head and replied to him in such a scornful 
 tone that he rose up in confusion. Just then you came 
 in. I wished to overwhelm him with my contempt so 
 as to destroy all further hopes he might cherish. You 
 know what I said — " 
 
 " And quite right, too ! For it was necessary to put 
 a stop to his nonsense. I will attend to it." 
 
 " But what if my mother wants to separate us ? " 
 
 ** Your mother, indeed ! " I exclaimed ; '* your 
 mother who sold you, abandoned you to the life of a 
 slave, do you think she can come and claim the rights 
 which she has thrown away ? " 
 
 " Can you defend me against her, then ? " 
 
 " Yes, dear, I will defend you," I exclaimed in a 
 passion, " and now set your mind at ease. There is a 
 miserable plot at the bottom of all this, which I intend 
 demolishing. When I leave you I am going to Count 
 Kiusko, and I assure you that he sha'n't trouble you any 
 more : after that I shall see your mother." 
 
 " Good heavens ! " said Kondje-Gul, "are you going 
 to fight him?" 
 
 "No, no," I answered with a laugh, in order to 
 remove her fears ; "but you must understand that it is 
 necessary for me to have an explanation with him." 
 
 In the morning I returned home and arranged all my 
 affairs ready for any eventuality ; then when all was in 
 order I went after two of my friends, and asked them to 
 hold themselves ready to act as my seconds in an affair 
 
 Q
 
 293 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 which I might be compelled by grave circumstances to 
 settle that very day. Having obtained their promise to 
 do so, I proceeded to Kiusko's in the Rue do I'Elys^e. 
 
 When I arrived at his house, I saw from the windows 
 being open that he was up. A footman, who knew me, 
 was standing under the peristyle. He told me that he 
 did not think his master would see anyone then. I gave 
 him my card and instructed him to send it up at once to 
 the count. In a minute or two after he returned and 
 asked me to come up to his master's private room ; he 
 showed me into a little smoking-room adjoining the bed- 
 room, to which the count's intimate friends only are 
 admitted. I had hardly entered it when Daniel 
 appeared ; he was dressed in a Moldavian costume which 
 he uses as a dressing-go'mi. 
 
 " Hullo, here's our dear friend Andre ! " he said when 
 he saw me, in such an indifferent tone that I could 
 detect in it the intentional affectation of a calmness to 
 which his pale countenance gave the lie. 
 
 Still he did not hold out his hand to me, nor did I 
 proffer mine; he sat down, indicating to me an arm-chair 
 on the other side of the fire-place. 
 
 "What good fortune has brought you hero so early 
 this morning?" he continued, taking a few puffs at his 
 cigar. 
 
 "Why, I should have thought you expected to see 
 me," I replied, looking him straight in the face. 
 
 He returned my look with a smile. 
 
 " I expected you, without expecting you, as they 
 say."
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 299 
 
 By the peculiar tone in which he uttered these words, 
 I could see that he was determined to make me take the 
 initiative in the matter upon which I had come. 
 
 " Very well ! " I said, wishing to show him that I 
 guessed his mind. " I will explain myself." 
 
 ** I am all attention, my dear fellow," he answered. 
 
 " I have come to speak to you," I continued drily, 
 " ahout Mademoiselle Kondje-Gul Murrah, and about 
 what passed yesterday between her and you." 
 
 " Ah, yes ! I understand : you are referring to the 
 somewhat severe lecture which I drew upon myself, and 
 to the confidential communication she made me." 
 
 " Precisely so," I added ; ** you could not sum up the 
 two points better than you have done : a lecture, and a 
 confidence. Now as one outcome of the second point is 
 that I am responsible for all Mademoiselle Murrah's acts, 
 I have come to place myself at your command respecting 
 the lecture she thought fit to give you." 
 
 "What nonsense, my dear fellow!" he exclaimed, 
 puffing a cloud of smoke into the air. "After all I 
 only had what I deserved, for I can only blame my own 
 presumption. Besides the very anger of such a charming 
 young lady is a favour to the man who incurs it, so that 
 my only regret is that I ofi'ended her. I should there- 
 fore really laugh at myself to think that I could hold 
 you responsible for this little incident : nay, I will go so 
 far as to say that, strictly speaking, I should owe you 
 an apology for what you might be justified in complain- 
 ing of as an act of disloyalty between friends, but for 
 
 the fact that I can plead as my excuse the complete 
 
 Q 2
 
 2QQ MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 ignorance in which you left me of certain mysterious 
 relations. You must know very well that a simple word 
 from you, my relative, my friend, would have made me 
 stop short on the brink of the precipice." 
 
 I appreciated the reproachful irony concealed in this 
 last sentence ; but I had gone too far to trouble myself 
 about remorses of conscience regarding him. 
 
 " So then," I replied, "you have nothing to say, no 
 satisfaction to demand of me in respect to this lecture ?" 
 ** None whatever, my dear fellow ! " he answered, in 
 the same easy tone which he had preserved all along. 
 "And I may add that there could be nothing more 
 ridiculous than a quarrel between two friends like you 
 and me upon such a matter ! " 
 
 "Let's think no more about it then ! " I continued, 
 imitating his composm-e. " Since you take it so good- 
 naturedly, I sha'n't press it. But, having settled this 
 first point, it remains now for us to discuss what you 
 have termed the confidence.''^ 
 
 At this he could not repress a slight gesture. His 
 dark eye flashed up, but for a moment only: he was 
 soon quite calm again. 
 
 " Ah, yes ! " he said carelessly ; " now we've come to 
 the second point." 
 
 " This is the point of importance for me," I added ; 
 " and I am going to ask you, on my side, what you 
 propose to do after this revelation ? " 
 
 " I must compliment you, my dear fellow, for upon 
 my word it's a most wonderful romance. Do you really 
 mean to say that this beautiful young lady whom we
 
 MY UNOLE BARBASSOU. 301 
 
 have all been admii-ing from a distance, fascinated by 
 her charms, and who like a young queen has been 
 starring it in the most aristocratic drawing-rooms of 
 your society, exciting enthusiastic praise wherever she 
 goes, — that she is your slave? — You must admit that 
 no mortal man could help envying you ! " 
 
 "Do your compliments," I continued, "imply an 
 engagement, on your part, to abandon importunities, 
 which you now recognise to be useless ? " 
 
 ** Oh, indeed ! " he exclaimed, with a laugh ; "so 
 you're going to ask me now to make my confession ? " 
 
 Exasperated by this imperturbable composure of his, 
 which I could not break down, I again looked him 
 straight in the face, and asked — 
 
 "Do you mean to say you refuse to understand 
 me?" 
 
 " No, my good sir ! " he answered, resuming his 
 peculiar smile, " I understand you perfectly well ; you 
 want to pick a quarrel with me, or to force me to 
 demand satisfaction from you for a matter to which I 
 do not attach as much importance as you do. Between 
 ourselves, a duel would be an act of folly." 
 
 " Do you understand, at any rate," I retorted, " that I 
 forbid your ever presenting yourself before Mademoiselle 
 Kondje-Gul Murrah again ? " 
 
 " Fie ! my dear fellow ! "WTiat do you take me for ? 
 After such an astonishing confession on her part, I 
 should prove myself deficient in the most ordinary dis- 
 cretion, if I did not henceforth spare her my presence ; 
 so you may set your mind at ease on that point."
 
 302 MY UNOLE 13ARBA8SOU. 
 
 " Do you also imply by this evasive answer that you 
 will abandon certain plots with her mother, which I 
 might describe in terms that would not please you ? " 
 
 '' Corbleu / I should be too heavily handicapped in 
 such a game, you must admit. Nor do I think that the 
 good lady would be of much service to me, from what 
 I know of her. Moreover," he added, " you have made 
 me your confidences, as a friend, and, late though they 
 arrive, I shall feel bound by them henceforth, if only on 
 the ground of the mutual consideration, which, in grave 
 circumstances, relations owe to each other." 
 
 The idea, then, occurred to me of provoking him 
 in another way ; but I clearly realised that, as he was 
 playing such a perfidious part, it would be dangerous for 
 me to commit this imprudence. 
 
 "Come, my dear Daniel," I said, as I rose from my 
 chair, "at any rate, I can see that you have a very 
 good-natured disposition." 
 
 " Of course I have," he replied; " and yet there are 
 people who accuse me of evil designs." 
 
 The most formidable perils are those which you feel 
 darkly conscious of, without being able to discern either 
 the enemy or the snare. This interview with Kiusko 
 left almost an impression of terror on my mind. Know- 
 ins him to be as brave as I did, I felt convinced that his 
 insensibility to my insults could only bo duo to the 
 calculated calm of an implacable will, which was pur- 
 suing its object, whether of love, of vengeance, or of 
 hatred, with all the energy of desperation.
 
 MY UNOLE BAEBASSOU. 303 
 
 Notwithstanding the humiHations he had undergone, 
 I made sure that he had by no means given up the game. 
 He meant to have Kondje-Gul, even if he had to capture 
 her forcibly, and to carry her off as his prey. When 
 I considered his sinister calm, which seemed to be 
 abiding its opportunity, I wondered whether we were 
 not already threatened by some secret machinations on 
 his part. 
 
 Stni I was not the man to be overcome by childish 
 panics ; so I soon got over this transitory feeling of 
 alarm. I knew that after all we were so unequally 
 matched, that I need not seriously fear his success. 
 However determined Kiusko might be not to abandon 
 the cowardly role he had assumed, I felt sure that an 
 open affront at the club would compel him to fight. 
 
 Feeling reassured by this consideration, I decided to 
 be guided in my action by the result of the interview 
 which I was going to have with Kondje-Gul's mother. 
 It was necessary for me to commence by putting a stop 
 to the foolish proceedings of this woman, who was 
 perhaps acting unintentionally as Kiusko's accompHce 
 in schemes the object of which she could not foresee. 
 It was eleven o'clock, an hour at which I knew I 
 should find her alone, while Kondje-Gul was taking 
 her lessons : I went accordingly to Teral House. 
 
 When I arrived a carriage was coming in and draw- 
 ing up under the portico. I saw Madame Murrah get 
 out of it. She could not avoid showing some annoyance 
 on observing me. Eather surprised at her taking such 
 an early drive, I asked her to go into the drawing-room.
 
 804 MY UNOLB BARBA8S0U. 
 
 Sho went thoro before me, and, seeing me take an arm- 
 chair, she sat down on the divan in bcr usual indolent 
 manner, and waited to hear what I had to say. 
 
 The scene which I am now going to relate to yon, my 
 dear Louis, was certainly, according to our ideas, a re- 
 markable one. I tell it you just as it happened ; but 
 you must not forget that, for the Circassian woman, 
 there was nothing in it which was out of conformity 
 with her principles and the ideas of her race. 
 
 " I have come to talk with you," I said, " upon a 
 serious subject, the importance of which perhaps you 
 do not comprehend ; for, without intending it, you are 
 causing Kondje-Gul a great deal of trouble." 
 
 '* How am I causing my daughter trouble ? " she 
 answered, as if she had been trying to understand. 
 
 " By continually telling her that I am going to leave 
 her in order to get married, — by telling her that you 
 wish to go away, and have even decided to take her with 
 you. She is of course alarmed by all these imaginary 
 anxieties." 
 
 *' If it is so decreed by Allah ! " she said quietly, 
 ** who shall prevent it ? " 
 
 I had been expecting denials and subterfuges. This 
 fatalistic utterance, without answering my reproaches, 
 took me quite aback and made me tremble. 
 
 ** But," I replied in a severe tone, "Allah could not 
 command you to bring uuhappiness to your daughter." 
 
 *' As you are going to be married " 
 
 "What matters my marriage?" I answered. "It 
 cannot in any way aflfcct Kondje-Gul's happiness ! She
 
 MY UNCLE BARBA8S0U. 305 
 
 knows that I love her, and that she will always retain 
 the first place in my afiections." 
 
 Madame Murrah shook her head for a minute in an 
 undecided manner. The argument which I had cm- 
 ployed was a most simple one. 
 
 At last she said: " Your wife will be an infidel; and, 
 according to your laws, she will be entitled to demand 
 my daughter's dismissal." 
 
 Dumb-founded at hearing her raise such objections, 
 when I had fancied that I only needed to express my 
 commands, I gazed at her in complete astonishment. 
 
 *' But my wife will never know Kondje-Gul ! " I ex- 
 claimed. *' She will live in her own home, and Kondje- 
 Gul will live here, so that nothing will be changed so 
 far as we are concerned." 
 
 Upon this reasoning of mine, which I thought would 
 seem decisive to her, the Circassian reflected for a 
 moment as if embarrassed as to how she should answer 
 me. But suddenly, just when I thought she was con- 
 vinced, she said : 
 
 "All that you have said would be very true, if we 
 were in Turkey ; but you know better than I do that in 
 your country, your religion does not permit you to have 
 more than one wife." 
 
 " But," I exclaimed, more astounded than ever at 
 her language, "do you suppose, then, that Kondje- 
 Gul could ever doubt my honour or my fidelity ? " 
 
 " My daughter is a child, and believes everything," 
 she contmued. " But, for my own part, I have con- 
 sulted a lawyer, and have been informed that according
 
 306 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 to your law she has become as free as a Frenchwoman, 
 and has lost all her rights as cadinc which she would 
 have enjoyed in our country. Moreover I am informed 
 that you can abandon her without her being able to 
 claim any compensation from you." 
 
 I was struck dumb by this bold language and the 
 expression with which it was accompanied. This was 
 no longer the apathetic Oriental woman whose obedience 
 I thought I commanded like a master. I had before 
 me another woman whose expression was thoughtful 
 and decided — I imderstood it all. 
 
 " While informing you that your daughter is free," I 
 said, changing my own tone of voice, " this lawyer no 
 doubt informed you also, that you could marry her to 
 Count Kiusko?" 
 
 " Oh, I knew that before ! " she replied, smiling. 
 
 " So you have been deceiving me these two months 
 past, by leaving me to believe that you had answered 
 him with a refusal ? " 
 
 " It was certainly necessary to prevent you from 
 telling him what he now knows. — The silly girl told 
 him everything yesterday." 
 
 ** How do you know that ? " 
 
 I saw her face redden. 
 
 " I know it. That's enough ! " she replied defiantly. 
 
 Feeling certain that Kondje-Gul had not told her 
 anything of the incident of the day before, I divined 
 that she had just left Kiusko's, where she had been, no 
 doubt, during our interview. 
 
 ** May I ask you, then, what you propose to do, now
 
 »r? UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 307 
 
 that Count Kiusko knows everything ? " I contmued, 
 controlling my anger. 
 
 " I shall do what my daughter's happiness impels mo 
 to do. You cannot marry her without being obliged to 
 give up your uncle's fortune. If Count Kiusko should 
 persist in wishing to make her his wife, knowing all the 
 circumstances that ho now does, you can understand 
 that I, as her mother, could not but approve of a 
 marriage which would assure her such a rich future." 
 
 At this I could no longer restrain myself, but ex- 
 claimed : 
 
 " Oh, indeed ! Do you imagine I shall let you dispose 
 of her like that, without defending her ? " 
 
 "No, of course, I know all this. — And that's the 
 very point upon which I consulted a counsel ; but, 
 according to what he has advised me, I should like to 
 ask what authority you can claim over my daughter ? 
 What rights can you set up against mine ? " 
 
 ** Well, I should like to remind you also that I can 
 ruin your comfortable expectations by killing Count 
 Kiusko," I said, quite beside myself with rage. 
 
 " If so it is written ! " she rejoined in a calm voice. 
 Exasperated by her fatahstic impertm-bability, I felt 
 moved by some furious and violent impulse. I got 
 up from my chair to calm myself. I could see that for 
 two months past I had been duped by this woman, who 
 had been pursuing with avidity a vision of unexpected 
 fortune, and that nothing could now divert her from 
 this pursuit. I felt myself caught in then- abominable 
 toils.
 
 808 
 
 MY UNOLE BABBISSOU. 
 
 Sitting motionless on hor divan, with her hands 
 folded over her knees, she regarded me in silence. 
 
 " Well ! " I said, coming close to her again, ** I can see 
 that your maternal solicitude is all a question of money. 
 For what sum will you sell me your daughter a second 
 time, and go back to live by yourself in the East ? " 
 
 She hesitated a moment, and then she said : 
 
 " I will tell you in a week's time." 
 
 By her deceitful looks I judged that she still placed 
 some hope in Kiusko, and that she probably wished to 
 wait until she could make sure about it, one way or the 
 other — but from motives of discretion I held my tongue, 
 and took leave of her. 

 
 
 « 
 
 
 ■ PAvrilj 
 
 CHAPTEE XVIII. 
 
 Events had succeeded each other with such strange 
 rapidity since the day before, that I felt like one walking 
 in a dream. First, Kondje-Gul's revelations of her 
 mother's duplicity, then my discussion with Daniel, and 
 now finally this cynical dialogue with the Circassian, in 
 the course of which she had just confessed her schemes 
 quite openly ; all these things had given such a succes- 
 sion of rude shocks to my spirit, which had been 
 reposing until then in the tranquil assurance of un- 
 disturbed happiness, that I had hardly found time to 
 estimate the extent of my misfortune. Overwhelmed 
 with distress when I perceived the possibility of losing
 
 310 »ry UNCLE barbabsou. 
 
 Kondje-Gul, I almost thouglit I should go mad. I 
 made a desperate struggle against the despair which 
 was taking possession of my mind. It was necessary 
 for me to carry on the contest in order to defend my 
 very soul and life, yet I felt my soul slipping out of 
 control. Like a mystic fascinated by his vision, I 
 might have allowed myself to bo deluded by a vain 
 mirage of security, for I had never imagined that my 
 rights could be disputed. I had been living in the 
 peaceful but foolish confidence that I could obtain 
 redress, when necessary, by the sword, lor my rival's 
 presumption. 
 
 And now I had woke up in consternation at find- 
 ing myself caught in this stupid trap which I had 
 permitted them to set in my path. Kondje-Gul's 
 mother had become Kiusko's accomplice. How was I 
 to defeat this conspiracy between two minds animated 
 by consuming passions, resolute and pitiless, who were 
 determined not to bo deterred by any scruples or any 
 sense of honour ? I could now see my weakness ; I was 
 paralysed and defenceless against this wretched woman 
 who, in order to constrain her daughter and dispose of 
 her future, had only to claim her legal authority over 
 her. She could take her from me, and carry her away. 
 Once back in Turkey, supported by the horrible laws of 
 Islam, all she need do was to sell her to Kiusko and 
 thus give her up to him. 
 
 My mind was struck by a sudden idea. Was it not 
 the height of folly on my part to give way to childish 
 alarms, and to defer action until after Kiusko and the
 
 MY UNCLE BAHBASSOU. 811 
 
 Circassian had matured their plans ? Was it not pos- 
 sible for me to escape, carrying Kondje-Gul off with me, 
 and placing her out of reach of their pursuit ? 
 
 As soon as this idea had taken possession of my mind, 
 it fixed itself there, and soon developed into a resolution. 
 I felt surprised that it had not occurred to me earher, 
 and decided to put it into execution that very day. I 
 knew that Kondje-Gul would follow me, for we had often 
 cherished the idea of taking a journey together alone, 
 and I had promised her we would carry it out some day. 
 In order to assure our successful escape, I resolved to 
 give her no notice beforehand, lest she should let it out 
 to her mother. 
 
 It was necessary, however, to provide for the conse- 
 quences of this disappearance, and the gossip which 
 would inevitably result in connection with it. Well, 
 after a good deal of hesitation, I confided the whole 
 matter to my uncle. 
 
 ** You old stupid ! " said he to me, " why, I have 
 known all about your little love-knot for the last six 
 months ! " 
 
 "What ! do you mean to say you knew that Kondje- 
 Gul?-" 
 
 " Lord bless you ! Don't you suppose that I heard 
 enough from Mohammed to make me keep my eyes 
 open ? " 
 
 After I had come to a complete understanding with 
 my uncle, I made my own arrangements. I was expected 
 to dinner at Kondje s that day. I found her quite sad ; 
 and on the pretext of giving her some distraction, I
 
 312 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 ordered the carriage at abont half-past eight, as if for a 
 drive to the Bois. "We started oflf. 
 
 As soon as we were alone, she said to me : 
 
 " Good gracious, Andre ! whatever has been passing 
 between you and my mother ? I am worried to death. 
 She has been talking again to me about my departure 
 with her, and Fanny believes that she is making her 
 preparations for it already. — She is going to carry me 
 away." 
 
 "All right, never mind her!" I answered with a 
 laugh ; ** you're out of danger already." 
 
 "How so?" 
 
 "I'm taking you away! You won't go back to the 
 house, for we are off to Fontainebleau, where we shall 
 both of us remain in concealment, while watching 
 events." 
 
 Need I describe to you her joy? In the Champs 
 Elysees we got out, as if in order to walk, and I sent 
 back the carriage. An hour after this, a cab set us 
 
 down at the railway station ! 
 
 ***** 
 
 We spent a delightful week in the forest, playing 
 truant. Fanny, who is a reliable girl, has joined us 
 here. We really had a narrow escape; for it seems 
 that Madame Murrah had, the very day we made our 
 flight, got everything planned for leaving the day after. 
 When she found in the morning that Kondje-Gul was 
 gone, she nearly had a fit. Kiusko came to the house, 
 being sent for at once ; all of which pretty clearly 
 indicates an understanding between them. The Cir-
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 313 
 
 cassian of course rushed after me to the Rue de 
 Varennes, noisily demanding her daughter. So my 
 aunt got to know all ahout it ! My uncle, whom I had 
 taken into my confidence, put them at once completely 
 off the scent, by replying that I had started for Spain. 
 * * * * ♦ 
 
 We are safe ! Everything has been accomplished, as 
 if by enchantment. For fifteen days past my Kondje- 
 Gul has been settled in a charming cottage at Ermont, 
 in the middle of the forest, hidden away like a daisy in 
 a field of standing corn. She has disappeared from view, 
 leaving no more traces behind her than a bird in its 
 flight through the air ; and I am back in Paris, as if I 
 had just returned from a journey. I have sent word 
 to Madame Murrah that her daughter, having resolved 
 to become a Christian, has taken refuge in a remote 
 convent. You may picture to yourself her rage; but, 
 as she is henceforth powerless, I fear her no more. 
 Being a foreigner, and in her precarious position, she 
 cannot venture to charge me with abduction, and, as 
 you may imagine, I am not likely to let her take us by 
 surprise. In order to get rid of her, I have offered to 
 give her an annuity to live in Turkey, but she has 
 declined it. 
 
 There can bo no doubt that Kiusko guides her, and 
 that they have by no means given up their game, but 
 are ready to resort to any violence. You may be sure I 
 keep a sharp eye on them, and am prepared for them. 
 The contest, however, is too unequal for me to alarm 
 myself very much. My uncle, who never troubles
 
 314 MY UNCLE BARBA8S0U. 
 
 himself mucL with legal scruples, telegraphed to a 
 couple of his old sailors, Onesime and Rupert, to come 
 up from Toulon : they were born on our Ferouzat 
 estate, and are, moreover, his " god-children." Thoy 
 are ridiculously like him, except that one of them is two 
 inches taller than the captain. Their godfather has 
 installed them at Ermont, and I don't mind betting 
 that, with a couple of strapping fellows like them 
 about the place, any attempt at carrying ofif Kondje- 
 Gul in my absence would meet with a few trifling 
 obstacles ! 
 
 As to myself, I defy them to get on my scent. 
 
 Being accustomed to taking morning rides, I could 
 find my way to our happy cottage home by various routes, 
 starting from opposite sides of the city. Once on the 
 road, it was impossible to follow me, even at a distance ; 
 for I should soon recognize any one on horseback who 
 appeared too inquisitive about my journey. Moreover, 
 if these tactics failed, the pace at which Star goes would 
 easily baffle any pertinacious pursuit. I often stay for 
 two or three days at this delicious retreat. M}' uncle 
 delights in coming there from time to time to take his 
 madeira. 
 
 In short, after the little adventures we have lately 
 gone through, we arc now leading a very pleasant 
 existence. 
 
 You can see what a simple matter it is. 
 
 My famous system, you will tell me, has come to 
 grief. Here I am, all forlorn, among the ruins of my
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 315 
 
 harem, running my head against impossibihties opposed 
 to our laws, morals, and conventionalities, with my last 
 sultana leaning on my arm ; here I am, like some little 
 St. John,* reduced to shady expedients in order to get 
 a minute's interview with my mistress, imprisoned in 
 her tower. I am trembling between our caresses, you 
 will say, lest a commissary of police should come to 
 cut the golden thread upon which my remaining blisses 
 hang, and force me by legal authority to give back 
 Kondje-Gul to her cruel mother. 
 
 Well, my dear friend, I will answer you very briefly, 
 I am in love ! Yes, I am in love ! These words are a 
 reply, I think, to everything ; although I must own that 
 fear of the commissary, which certainly does threaten 
 my felicity, has considerably humbled my Oriental 
 pride — I am in love ! I have burnt my essay for the 
 Academy. 
 
 Well, then, I have abjured my polygamy. What 
 more can I say to you ? 
 
 To-day I must confide to you a most valuable dis- 
 covery I have made ; for I beg you to believe that love 
 is not, as so many foolish people imagine, an extin- 
 guisher to the fire of the human intellect. On the 
 contrary, it stimulates the perceptions ; and an enthu- 
 siastic lover, who is familiar with the elements of 
 science, can extend therein his field of observations 
 quite as easily as persons whose hearts are whole. 
 
 As an example of this, then, I have just been 
 
 * Eefemng to a familiar French nursery-legend similar to that of 
 
 Santa C\a.\xs.— Trans.
 
 316 ^rr uncle barbassou. 
 
 realising the beauty of a charming phenomenon of 
 nature — a most ordinary one, and yet one which so far 
 has remained, I think, completely unobserved. I refer 
 to the spring ! 
 
 As a great artist, you of course know, as well as any 
 one in the world, that this is the season which leads 
 from the winter to the summer ; but what I feel sure 
 you don't know is the full charm of this transitory 
 period, in which the whole forest awakens, in which the 
 bushes sprout, and the young birds twitter in their 
 nests ! 
 
 According to Vauvenargues, " The first days of spring 
 possess less charm than the growing virtue of a young 
 man." 
 
 Well, it would ill befit me to depreciate the value of 
 such an axiom, coming from the pen of such a great 
 philosopher ; still, and without wishing to disdain his 
 politeness in so far as it is really flattering to myself at 
 this particular moment of my career, I do not hesitate 
 to raise my voice after his, and assert, without any 
 pretence of modesty, that this charm is at least as 
 great in the case of Flora's lover as in mine, and 
 that it is only fair to accord to each his just portion. 
 If my budding virtue possesses ineffable charms, no 
 less powerful are those of the hlacs and the roses. It 
 is really, I assure you, a wonderful spectacle. You 
 ought to have witnessed it ! Some day I will tell you 
 all about it, as I have just been doing to my uncle, 
 who finds it all very curious, although he professes only 
 to understand me " very approximately."
 
 IVre UNCLE BAEBASSOTJ. 317 
 
 Getting up at sunrise, Kondje and I take a run 
 through the coppices, her little feet all wet with the dew. 
 We feel free, merrj'-, and careless, dismissing the com- 
 missary to oblivion, and trusting to each other's love, 
 the full charms of which this solitary companionship 
 has revealed to us. I do not risk more than two excur- 
 sions to Paris each week, one to my aunt Eudoxia's, 
 and one to my aunt Van Cloth's. Having made these 
 angel's visits, and performed various family duties, I 
 vanish, by day or by night as the case may be, eluding 
 the vigilance of the spies who have no doubt been set 
 at my heels by the unscrupulous mother, or by that 
 rascal KiusJco, as we now call him. These adventures 
 augment my rapturous felicity ; and if time and destiny 
 have shorn me of the privilege of my sultanship, which 
 you say rendered me so proud and vain, I retain at all 
 events the glory of being happy. 
 
 I am in love, my dear fellow ; and therefore I dream 
 and forget. But there is another still darker speck on 
 my serene sky. Anna Campbell is just approaching 
 her eighteenth birthday, and I cannot think of this 
 without a good deal of melancholy. Although my uncle 
 is deHghted to take occasional walks here, at the end 
 of which he finds a capital glass of madeira waiting 
 for him, he, as you are aware, is not a person of 
 romantic temperament, and has already noted with 
 his scrutinising eye the ravages caused by a double 
 passion, which bodes no good for his daughter's married 
 life. 
 
 The other night, on my return from my aunt Van 
 
 R
 
 818 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 Cloth's, he questioned me very seriously on the subject. 
 As to my disappointing his hopes, he knows that the 
 idea of such a thing ^YOuld not even occur to me. That 
 is a matter of honour between us. 
 
 I spoke of a further delay before preparing my poor 
 Kondje-Gul for the blow. He seemed touched at this 
 token of the sincerity of my entirely filial devotion to 
 him. 
 
 The commissary has at last come ; we have been dis- 
 covered ! 
 
 Yesterday afternoon wc were sitting in the garden, 
 under the shade of a little clump of trees. My uncle, 
 in a big arm-chair, was smoking and listening, while I 
 read to him the newspapers, which had just been brought 
 to us. Suddenly Kondje-Gul, who was standing a few 
 steps off from us, arranging the plants for her window, 
 uttered a suppressed cry, and I saw her run up to me 
 all at once, pale and trembling. 
 
 ** What's the matter, dear ? " I said to her. 
 
 " Look there ! look there ! " she answered, in a 
 terrified voice, pointing towards the house, " my 
 mother ! " 
 
 At the same moment, on the door-step of the cottage, 
 through which she had passed, and found it empty, 
 appeared the Circassian. 
 
 She was accompanied by a man. 
 
 " This is my daughter, sir," she said to him. 
 
 I sprang forward to throw myself in front of Kondje- 
 Gul.
 
 T>TY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 319 
 
 ** Come, don't agitate yourself, my dear fellow ! " 
 said my uncle. *' Do me the favour of keeping quiet ! " 
 
 Then, rising up as he would to receive guests, he 
 walked a few steps towards Madame Murrah, who had 
 advanced towards us, and addressing himself to the man, 
 said to him : 
 
 " Will you inform me, sir, to what I am indebted for 
 the honour of this visit from you ? " 
 
 " I am a Commissary of Police, sir, and am deputed 
 by the court to assist this lady, who has come to 
 demand the restitution of her daughter, illegally 
 harboured by you at your house." 
 
 *' Very well, sir," continued my uncle ; " I am de- 
 lighted to see you ! But be so kind, if you please, as 
 to walk into the house, where we can consider your 
 demand more comfortably than in this garden." 
 
 *' Take care," said the Circassian to the commissary: 
 " they want to contrive her escape ! " 
 
 " Nothing of the soii, my dear madam," repHed my 
 uncle : ** this gentleman will tell you that we could not 
 venture to do such a thing in his presence. Your 
 daughter will remain with us to answer any questions 
 which may be put to her. I am taking her arm, and it 
 you will kindly follow us, I shall have the honour of 
 showing you the way." 
 
 Onesime and Rupert might be distmguished in the 
 dim perspective, waiting apparently for a signal from 
 the captain to remove both the commissary and the 
 unwelcome lady visitor. 
 
 Our hearts were beating fast: Kondje-Gul could
 
 820 MY UNCLE BAJRBASSOU. 
 
 hardly restrain her feelings. We went in, and my 
 uncle, as calm as ever, offered chairs to Madame 
 Murrah and to the emissary of justice. Then he 
 addressed him again, saying : 
 
 " May I inquire, sir, whether you are provided with 
 a formal warrant authorizing you to employ force to 
 take this young lady away, according to her mother's 
 wish?" 
 
 " I have the judge's order ! " exclaimed Madame 
 Murrah with vehemence. 
 
 ** Excuse me, excuse me," continued my uncle, 
 " but let us avoid all confusion ! Be so kind, if you 
 please, madam, as to permit the commissary to answer 
 my question. We are anxious to observe the respect 
 which we owe to his office." 
 
 I felt done for. How could we resist the law ? My 
 poor Kondje cast despairing looks at me. 
 
 " Madame Murrah being a foreigner, sir," answered 
 the officer of the law, " as you appear to understand, 
 my only instructions are to accompany her, and, in the 
 event of opposition being made to her rights, to draw up 
 a report in order to enable her to bring au action against 
 you in a court of justice." 
 
 ** Ah ! " continued my uncle. " Well, then, sir ! 
 you may proceed, if you please, to take do\Mi our 
 replies. In the first place, then, the young lady 
 formally declines to return to her mother." 
 
 " That's false ! " said the Circassian. " She is my 
 daughter, and belongs only to me ! She will obey me, 
 for she knows that I shall curse her if "
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 321 
 
 *' Let us be quite calm, if you please, and have no 
 useless words ! " replied my uncle. " It is your 
 daughter's turn to reply. — Ask her, sir." 
 
 The commissary then addressed himself to Kondje- 
 Gul, repeatmg the question. I saw her turn pale and 
 hesitate, terror-stricken by her mother's looks. 
 
 " Do you want to leave me, then ? " I said to her 
 passionately. 
 
 "Oh, no ! " she exclaimed. Then turning towards 
 the commissary, she added in a firm voice : " I do not 
 wish to go with my mother, sir." 
 
 At this the Circassian rose up in a fury. 
 
 Kondje-Gul fell on her knees before her, supplicating 
 her with tears, in piteous tones. 
 
 In my alarm I rushed forward. 
 
 " Get her out of the room ; take her away ! " my 
 uncle said to me sharply. 
 
 My poor Kondje-Gul resisted, so I took her up in 
 my arms and carried her out. At the door I found 
 Fanny, who had come up, and I left my darhng in her 
 
 care. 
 
 Madame Murrah darted forward to follow her daughter, 
 but my uncle had seized her by the wrist, and forcing 
 her down again, said to her in Turkish : 
 
 "We have not finished ; and if you stir, beware ! " 
 
 "Sk," exclaimed the Circassian, addressing the officer 
 of the law, "you see how violently they are treating 
 me, and how they are threatening me ! " 
 
 All this had taken place so quickly that the com- 
 missary hardly had time to intervene with a gesture.
 
 822 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 Onesime and Rupert were strolling about outside the 
 window. 
 
 ** Excuse me for having sent this child out, sir," con- 
 tinued my uncle ; "hut you are, I believe, sufficiently 
 acquainted already with her decision. Moreover, she is 
 there to reply afresh to you, if you desire to question 
 her alone, secure from all influence and pressure. It 
 remains for me to speak now upon a subject which she 
 ought not to hear mentioned. After her refusal to 
 follow her mother, which she has just given so clearly, 
 be so good as to add on your report that I also refuse 
 very emphatically to give her up to her." 
 
 " You have no right to rob me of my daughter," 
 exclaimed the Cii'cassian, who was nearly deUrious with 
 rage. 
 
 ** That is just the point we are about to discuss," 
 replied my uncle. "Firstly, then, allow me to introduce 
 myself to you, sir," he continued, quite calmly; " and 
 to explain my position and rights in this matter. My 
 name is The Late Barbassou, ex- General and Pasha in 
 the service of His Majesty the Sultan — ranks which 
 entitle me to the privileges of a Turkish subject." 
 
 The commissary smiled and nodded to him, thus 
 indicating that the name of Barbassou-Pasha was abeady 
 known to him. 
 
 "As a consequence of these rights, sir," continued 
 my uncle, " my private transactions cannot come before 
 the French courts ; so that this affair must be settled 
 entu-ely between Madame Murrah and myself. I should 
 even add, while expressing to you my regrets for the
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 323 
 
 inconYenience which it is causing you, that it is I who 
 have brought about this very necessary interview. I 
 presented myself twice at Madame Murrah's house in 
 Paris, with the object of bringing this stupid business 
 to a conclusion. For reasons, no doubt, which you are 
 already in a position to estimate, she refused to see me. 
 I arranged, therefore, that she should be informed 
 yesterday that her daughter was concealed in this house; 
 and I came here at once myself, in order to have the 
 pleasure of meeting the lady. There you have the 
 whole story." 
 
 " I refused to see you," said Kondje-Gul's mother, 
 " simply because I do not know you ! And I ask the 
 judge to order the restitution of my daughter, which the 
 Ambassador of our Sultan supports me in demanding. 
 I have his order to this effect." 
 
 Here the commissary intervened, and, addressing my 
 uncle, whose imperturbable composure quite astounded 
 me, said gravely : 
 
 " Would you obhge me, sir, by stating your motive 
 for refusing to give up this young lady to her mother ? 
 According to our laws, as you are aware, this is a 
 circumstance which, notwithstanding the purely volun- 
 tary character of my mandate, I am bound to enter in 
 my report." 
 
 " Certainly, sir," replied my uncle, "your request is 
 a very proper one, and I will at once reply to it, as I 
 would have done in the presence of the consul of His 
 Excellency the Turkish Ambassador, were it not that 
 Madame Murrah has strong motives for avoidiug such
 
 824 MY UNCLE BAKBASSOU. 
 
 au explanation Lefore him, between good Mussulmans 
 like herself and me." 
 
 "I understand you," continued the commissary, sup- 
 pressing another smile at this declaration of Barbassou- 
 Pasha. 
 
 "Sir," added my uncle, "I have the advantage of 
 being a Mahometan ; and according to the special 
 customs of my country, with which you are acquainted, 
 this lady sold me her daughter by a straightforward 
 and honourable contract, sanctioned by our usages, 
 recognized and supported by our laws : these laws 
 formally enjoin me to protect her, and to maintain her 
 always in a position corresponding with my own rank and 
 fortune, while they forbid me ever to abandon her. 
 Under the same contract this lady duly received her 
 * gift ' or legitimate remuneration, which had been 
 estimated, fixed, and agreed to by her. Therefore, as 
 you A^ill perceive, sir," he added, "no discussion in this 
 case would ever be listened to by an Ottoman tribunal, 
 and Madame Murrah's suit would be ignominiously 
 dismissed." 
 
 "We are in France," said Madame Murrah, "and 
 my daughter has become free ! " 
 
 " To conclude, sir," continued my uncle, without 
 taking any notice of this objection, " this lady and I 
 are both subjects of His Majesty the Sultan. Ours is 
 simply a private dispute between fellow-Turks, coming 
 entirely under the jurisdiction of our national tribunals, 
 and is one in which your French courts, as you will 
 understand, have no authority to interfere."
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 325 
 
 "You are not my daughter's husband!" exclaimed 
 the Circassian ; " she does not belong to you any longer, 
 for you have given lier to your nephew, a Giaour, an 
 infidel ! " 
 
 "Quite true, madam!" replied my uncle. "But," 
 he continued, "these are details in a private dispute, 
 with which this gentleman is not concerned. And I 
 fancy he has by this time obtained sufficient in- 
 formation." 
 
 " Certainly, sir," said the officer of the law, rising 
 from his seat. " I have taken down your replies, and 
 my mission is accomplished." 
 
 Barbassou-Pasha, upon this conclusion, saluted him 
 in his most dignified manner and conducted him out 
 with every polite attention. 
 
 The Circassian, exasperated beyond measure, had not 
 moved : rage was depicted on her whole countenance, 
 and she looked like one determined to fight it out to the 
 bitter end. 
 
 " I must insist upon speaking to my daughter," she 
 said passionately, " and then we shall see ! " 
 
 Just as he caught these words, my uncle came in, 
 leading my poor Kondje-Gul by the hand. 
 
 " Come, you silly old fool," he said to Madame 
 Murrah, changing his tone quite suddenly, "you can 
 see now that there is nothing left to you but to submit. 
 Swallow all your stupid threats ! You will make a good 
 thing out of it all the same— for I give your daughter 
 in marriage to my nephew ! " 
 
 I thought I must have misunderstood him.
 
 82G MT UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 "Uncle ! " I exclaimed, ** what did you say ? " 
 
 " "Why, you rascal, I see that I must give her to you, 
 since you love each other so cousumcdly ! " 
 
 Kondje-Gul could not repress a scream of joy. We 
 both threw ourselves into my uncle's arms at the same 
 time. 
 
 ** Yes," he said, " what a jolly couple they look ! But 
 it was your aunt Eudoxia who led me at last to play 
 this card ! Here I am nicely balked of all my fine 
 schemes ! " 
 
 ** Oh !" exclaimed Kondje-Gul, "we -^ill love each 
 other so much ! " 
 
 "Well, well! There, they're quite smothering me •' 
 May the good God bless you ! go along. But now we 
 shall have to come to an understanding with this excel- 
 lent mother; for according to these infernal French laws, 
 which complicate everything, her consent is necessary 
 for your marriage." 
 
 "I certainly shall not give it," said Madame Murrah 
 furiously. 
 
 " All right ! We will see about that," he continued. 
 ** That is a matter to be arranged betAveen us, and for 
 that purpose I shall go to j'our house to-morrow. Only, 
 I give you warning, no noise, please, no silly attempts 
 to carry off your daughter, otherwise we shall wait until 
 she is of age in two years' time, and then you will have 
 nothuig." 
 
 Don't be surprised, Louis, if for the rest of this page 
 I scrawl like a monkey. At the recollection of this 
 scene, my eyes are quite obscured by a veil of mist.
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 827 
 
 By Jove, so much the worse ! for now it's all breaking 
 into real tears. 
 
 Dear me, what a brick of an uncle he is to me ! 
 
 Notwithstanding Barbassou-Pasha's Turkish tactics, 
 and in spite of the happiness which for the moment 
 quite overwhelmed us, my poor Kondje-Gul began to 
 tremble again with fear after the departure of her 
 mother, whom we knew to be capable of any mad act. 
 We decided that, in order to avoid a very real danger, 
 we would take her that very day to the convent of the 
 Ladies of X. ; this we did. Before she becomes my wife 
 she is going to become a Christian, in pursuance of 
 the wish which, as you know, she has expressed a long 
 time since, of embracing my faith. This visit, which 
 will account to the world for her disappearance, will be 
 explained quite naturally by this finale of our marriage; 
 and if people ever discover anything about this queer 
 story of our amours, well — I shall have married my own 
 slave, that's all. 
 
 Eh ? What ? You incorrigible carper ! Is it not, 
 after all, a charming romance ? 
 
 A fortnight has passed since the intervention of the 
 commissary. Kiusko has gone : he disappeared one 
 morning. My aunt Eudoxia, who has taken us under 
 her special care, goes to seeKondje-Grul every day at the 
 convent. She is charming in her kindness to us, but 
 still we have our anxieties. The negotiation of the 
 maternal consent is an arduous task, for the Circassian 
 makes absurd pretensions ; my uncle, however, under- 
 takes to bring her down.
 
 828 
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 
 
 AMiat will you say next, I wonder? That I am 
 reduced to buying my own wife ? I flatter myself that 
 I shall find happiness in that bargain ! How many 
 others are there, who have done the same, that could 
 say as much as that ? 
 
 ^^
 
 
 ^j: 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Here's a fine business ! It is my uncle who has got 
 into trouble this time ! My aunt Eudoxia has found 
 out everything, and I have just spent two days in 
 helping my aunt Van Cloth to pack up and get back to 
 Holland with my long string of cousins, the fat Dirkie, 
 the cooking moulds, and the barrel-organ following by 
 goods' train. 
 
 It was a veritable thunderclap ! 
 
 I have told you all about this Dutch household and 
 its patriarchal felicity, its sweetmeat and sausage 
 pastries, and its inimitable tarts — less appetizing, how- 
 ever, than my aunt's fine eyes. I have told you about 
 their quiet family evenings with my uncle's pipe and 
 Schiedam, in which domino-parties of three were varied
 
 330 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 by tho doligbtful treat of a symphony from one of the 
 great masters, executed iu a masterly style by a pretty 
 little plump hand covered with pink dimples. 
 
 Once or twice a week, as became a favourite and 
 affectionate nephew, I came into the midst of this 
 idyll of the land of tulips ; and always quitted it full of 
 sweetmeats and good advice. 
 
 However, the day before yesterday, Ernest, the 
 second of my cousins, who is five years old, suddenly 
 caught a violent fever ; he grew scarlet in the face, and 
 his stomach swelled up like a balloon. 
 
 My poor aunt, having exhausted all her arsenal of 
 aperients and astringents against what she reckoned to 
 be an indigestion due to preserved plums, quite lost her 
 head. In the afternoon the child grew worse. Where 
 in Paris could she find a Dutch doctor ? She could 
 only place confidence in a Dutchman. At the end of 
 her wits -with fear, she thought she would go* after my 
 uncle or me ; so, without thinking any more about it, 
 as she knew our address, she takes a cab and gets 
 driven to the Rue de Varennes, believing in her sim- 
 pHcity that this was where our shops and offices were. 
 
 She arrives and asks for my uncle. Being seven 
 o'clock, the hall-porter tells her that the captain will 
 soon be in, shows her to the staircase, and rings the 
 bell ; one of the men-servants asks her for her name, 
 and then opens the folding doors, announcing — 
 
 " Madame Barbassou ! " 
 
 It is my aunt Eudoxia who receives her. 
 
 My aunt Van Cloth, who is distracted with anxiety,
 
 MY UNCLE BArjJASSOU. 831 
 
 thinks that she sees before her some lady of my family, 
 and in order to excuse herself for disturbing her, begins 
 by saying that she has come to see Captain Barbassou, 
 her husband. 
 
 Imagine the stupefaction of my aunt Eudoxia ! But 
 being too astute to betray herself, she lets the other 
 speak, questions her and learns the whole story. Then, 
 like the good soul that she is, and feeling sorry for poor 
 Ernest and his swollen stomach, she rings and orders 
 the carriage to be ready, so that she may go as soon as 
 possible to her own doctor ; upon which my aunt Van 
 Cloth, who is of an effusive nature, embraces her most 
 affectionatelj', calling her her dearest friend. 
 
 Just then my uncle arrives. 
 
 I was not present ; but my aunt Eudoxia, who con- 
 tinues to laugh over it, has related to me all the details 
 of the affair. At the sight of this remarkable fusion of 
 *' the two branches of his hymens," as she termed it, 
 the Pasha was positively dumb-founded. All the more 
 so as my aunt Van Cloth, who understood no more 
 about this extraordinary position of affairs than she did 
 of Hebrew, threw herself into his arms, and exclaimed : 
 
 " Ah ! Anatole ! here you are, dear ! — Our Ernest is 
 in danger ! " 
 
 The bravest man will quail occasionally ; and at this 
 unfortunate and unavoidable attack, which tore asunder 
 the whole veil of mystery, the splendid composure with 
 which Nature has armed my uncle Barbassou really 
 deserted him for a moment. But, like a man who is 
 superior to misfortunes of this sort, when he found
 
 332 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 
 
 himself caught he did not on this occasion, more than 
 on any other, waste any time over spilt cream. 
 
 ** Quick ! we must go and fetch the child ! " he 
 said. 
 
 And taking advantage of the fact that my aunt Van 
 Cloth was hanging to him, he carried her off without 
 any more ado, and went out by the door, without 
 leaving her time to kiss the Countess of Monteclaro, 
 as she certainly would have done out of politeness. 
 From the ante-room he dragged her down to the car- 
 riage, where he packed her in. 
 
 I was coming down from my own chambers just as 
 he returned from this summary execution. Although 
 about the last thing I expected to come in for was the 
 climax of a tragic occurrence, I could see easily enough 
 that my uncle had experienced some little shock ; but 
 the announcement of dinner and the ordinary tone of 
 my aunt's reception creating a diversion, I did not feel 
 certain until we were seated at table that there was 
 some storm in the air which was only restrained from 
 bursting by the presence of the servants. The Pasha, 
 sitting in silence with his head bent down into his 
 plate, seemed to be absorbed by some abstruse con- 
 siderations, which caused him that evening to forget 
 to grumble at the cook. My aunt, on the contrary, 
 sparkling with humour, and in her most charming and 
 gracious mood, suggested by her smiles a certain light- 
 ness of heart : he eyed her suspiciously from time to 
 time, like a man with an uncomfortable conscience. 
 
 When the meal was over we returned to the draw-
 
 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 333 
 
 ing-room, and coffee being served, remained there alone. 
 The Countess of Monteclaro, still as gracious as ever, 
 made some sly thrusts at him, the significance of which 
 escaped me somewhat. The captain evidently was keeping 
 very quiet. Finally, after half an hour, as I was about 
 to leave, and he showed symptoms of an intention to 
 slip off, she said to him, in her most insinuating 
 manner — 
 
 " I will detain you for a minute, my dear ; I must 
 have a little conversation with you about a matter on 
 which I want to take your advice." 
 
 I kissed the hand which she held out to me, and 
 which indicated that my presence was not wanted. 
 
 " Well, good night, old good-for-nothing ! " she added, 
 as she accompanied me as far as the door of the adjoining 
 room. 
 
 What passed after I left, none will ever know. My 
 aunt, with her exquisite tact, has only related to me 
 the original and amusing side of the matter, laughing 
 at her unfortunate discovery in the lofty manner of a 
 noble lady who is smoothing over a family trouble. 
 Apart from her very genuine affection for my uncle, 
 she entertains also a certain esteem for him, which she 
 could never depart from before his nephew. 
 
 As for myself, I remained still in ignorance of every- 
 thing until nine o'clock, when the Pasha joined me 
 again at the club, where he had particularly asked me 
 to wait for him. 
 
 At the first glance I guessed that there had been a 
 row. Without saying a word, he led me into a little
 
 834 MY UNCLE B.VRBASSOU. 
 
 detaclicJ room : there he fell into an arm-chair, and 
 Bhook his head in silence, as he looked at me. 
 
 " Good gracious ! what's the matter, uncle ? " I 
 asked. 
 
 ** Pfuiii ! " he replied, staring with his full eyes, and 
 prolonging this kind of whistling exclamation, like 
 a man who is hrcathing more freely after a narrow 
 escape. 
 
 His gestures were so eloquent, his sigh so expressive 
 and so reinvigorating, that I waited until he had given 
 complete vent to it. When I saw him quite exhausted 
 by it, I continued, feeling really anxious — 
 
 " Come ! what is it ? " 
 
 " Oh, I've just had such a nasty turn ! " he answered 
 at last, " Pfuiii ! " 
 
 I respected this new effort at relief, which, moreover 
 Bet him right this time. 
 
 " You've had some words with my aunt, I suppose ? " 
 I added, at a venture, recollecting the cloud which 
 seemed to hang over us at dinner. 
 
 "A regular earthquake!" he drawled out, in that 
 appalling Marseilles accent which he falls into when- 
 ever he is overcome by any strong emotion. ** Your 
 aunt Eudoxia has discovered the whole bag of tricks ! 
 The story of the Passy house, your aunt Gretchen, the 
 children, Dirkic, and the whole blessed shop ! " 
 
 "But, perhaps she has only suspicions — the conse- 
 quence of some gossip she has heard ? " 
 
 "Suspicions? he exclaimed; "why, they have met 
 each other ! "
 
 MY TKCLE EALBASSOU. 885 
 
 " Nonsense, that's impossible ! — Are you really sure 
 of this?" 
 
 " Te/ Sure indeed? I should think so ! I return 
 home to dinner, come into the drawing-room, and I 
 actually find them both there, talking together. They 
 were kissing each other ! " 
 
 '' The deuce ! " I exclaimed, quite alarmed this time. 
 ** Well, that was a stunner, wasn't it, my dear boy ? " 
 " It was indeed ! AYhatever did you do ? " 
 " I separated them, carrying Gretchen back at once 
 to her carriage." 
 
 " Then now I understand the chill which seemed to 
 be over us all dinner-time. So, after I went out, you 
 had a heavy downfall ? " 
 
 *' Pfuiii ! " my uncle began again. 
 This last sigh seemed to lose itself in such a vista of 
 painful souvenirs, that the whole of Theramene's narra- 
 tive would certainly have taken less time to tell. I 
 proceeded as quickly as I could, foreseeing that my 
 intervention would be necessary. 
 
 *' Had I not better run over to my aunt Gretchen's ? " 
 I asked him. 
 
 " Yes, I certainly think you had. I promised that, 
 except in case of Ernest's illness proving serious, they 
 should all leave Paris to-morrow ! You may still have 
 time to arrange that this evening," he added, looking at 
 the clock. 
 
 *' All right, I'm off !" I replied, rising up. 
 
 As I was about to go out, he called me back. 
 
 " Ah ! above all," he continued sharply, " don't
 
 336 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 forget to tell Eudoxia to-morrow that it is you who 
 have undertaken this business, and that as for me, I 
 have not stirred from here ! " 
 
 ** That's quite understood, uncle," I answered, laugh- 
 ing to myself at the blue funk he was in. 
 
 Needless to add, I did not lose any time. In a 
 quarter of an hour I was at Passy. It so happened 
 that a favourable crisis had come over Ernest and 
 relieved him, and he gave no further cause for anxiety. 
 My aunt Grctchen, who had gone through all this 
 business as a blind man might pass under an arch, 
 without knowing anything about it, did not evince the 
 least surprise on hearing that my uncle *' having 
 received a telegram which had obliged him to leave 
 Paris that evening, had commissioned me in his absence 
 to send her off immediately to Amsterdam." She 
 entrusted me with no end of compliments for the 
 Countess of Monteclaro, whose acquaintance she was 
 charmed to have made. 
 
 The next morning she was rolling away in the express, 
 delighted to have made such an agreeable and enjoyable 
 visit. 
 
 A week has now passed since this affair, and beyond 
 that my uncle is still quite humiliated by a malicious 
 sort of gaiety affected by my aunt, who often calls him 
 " The Pasha," instead of " The Captain," which is the 
 title she always gave him formerly, everything has 
 resumed the harmonious tranquillity of the best regu- 
 lated household. Attentions, politenesses, gallantries, 
 &c., are quite the order of the day. Only he is ruining
 
 MY UNCLE BAKBASSOU. 337 
 
 me with all the presents he lavishes upon her ; and I 
 have been forced to make serious complaints on the 
 subject to my aunt, who has laughed insanely at them, 
 maintaining that it is "the sinner's ransom." Still, 
 some kind of restrictions are necessary in families, and 
 I have warned her that, if it continues, I shall stop 
 " the late Barbassou's " credit, seeing that he is dead. 
 
 *' You see what a simple matter it is, as my uncle 
 says," I added. 
 
 But she only laughed again, louder than ever. We 
 have got on no further. 
 
 Louis, go and hang yourself ! I was married yester- 
 day, and you were not there ! 
 
 The ceremony was very fine. It was at the church 
 of Sainte Clotilde ; all the Faubourg St. Germain was 
 there, delighted at Kondje-Gul's conversion, and with 
 her beauty, her charming manners, and the romance 
 connected with our marriage. Everyone was there who 
 has made any name in the world of art, not to speak of 
 that of finance. There was Baron Rothschild, who had 
 a long conversation Avith my uncle. Three special corre- 
 spondents for London newspapers were present, and all 
 our own Paris reporters. High Mass, full choral ; 
 Faure sang his Pie Jesus, Madame Carvalho and 
 Adelina Patti the Credo. 
 
 At the entrance, the crowd nearly crushed us. 
 Barbassou-Pasha, Count of Monteclaro, gave his ami 
 to the bride. Poor Kondje, what agitation, what 
 emotion, what delight she evinced ! I escorted Madame
 
 838 MY UNCLE BARBAS80U. 
 
 Murrah in a splendid costume, tamed but very dignified 
 still, and playing her part with noble airs, like a fatalist. 
 *' It was written ! " She started oflf the same day to 
 Rhodes, where my uncle is finding a position for her — 
 as head manager of his Botany Bay. 
 
 The Countess of Monteclaro was there, and Anna 
 Campbell was smiling all over as she acted, in company 
 with Maud and Susannah Montague, as bridesmaid to 
 her friend Kondje-Gul. 
 
 It took them all exactly an hour to pass in procession 
 through the vestry. We had to sign the register there, 
 and my uncle headed it with his self-assumed title of 
 ** The late Barbassou," to which he clings. 
 
 Then came the deluge of congratulations, my beautiful 
 Christian wife blushing in her emotion, with her garland 
 of orange-flowers. [Well, yes ! And why not ? It's 
 the custom, you know.] 
 
 At two o'clock, back to the house, a family love-feast, 
 and preparations for the flight of the young couple to 
 Ferouzat. Peace and joy in all hearts. My uncle, at last 
 admitted to absolution, quivering ^^ith pleasm*e at hear- 
 ing my aunt Eudoxia calling him no longer ** Pasha," 
 but " Captain," as of old. 
 
 Everywhere Love and Spring ! 
 
 Come now, Louis, quite seriously, are you, who have 
 made the experiment, quite sure that one heart suffices 
 for one veritable love ? I am anxious to know. 
 
 "WTien evening arrived, the Count and Countess of 
 Monteclaro accompanied us to the railway station. They 
 will join us at the end of the month.
 
 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 
 
 339 
 
 I leave you to imagine for yourself all the kisses and 
 salutations, promises and grandparents' advice. 
 
 While my aunt was exhorting Kondje-Gul, my uncle 
 favoured me vdth a few words on his part. 
 
 " You see," he said to me quietly, standing by the 
 side of our carriage, " there is one thing which it is 
 indispensable for you not to forget, and that is never on 
 any account to have two wives — in the same town ! " 
 
 Louis, I think my uncle is a little wanting in 
 principle. 
 
 
 t» 
 
 
 V /. 
 
 BRADBURY, AGNEW, 6i CO., PRINT ERii, WHITEKKIAKS.
 
 RE-ISSUE OF CHOICE ILLUSTRATED BOOKS OF THE 
 EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 
 
 nf Tn^f ^h'^ ^ ^.""-^^ P^'^H?^ •^"'^° t^e Pi-^sent season translations 
 of some of the mo. t charmm? illustrated yolumes produced in France at 
 the latter part of the ISth century. These works, so highly pr'zed by 
 amateurs are distinguished for their numerous graceful dcsi-ns bv 
 EiSEx, Marillier, Cochin, Moreau, Le Earbier, &c ^finelj 
 engraved on copper by Le Mire, Loxgueil. Altamet, Bacquoy 
 BiNET, Delaunay, and others. The volumes, which will be printed 
 on handmade paper, with the engravings on India, Japanese, or Dutch 
 paper, will be produced in the most perfect style, and issued in tasteful 
 bindings. 
 
 THE KISSES PRECEDED BY THE MONTH OF MAY. 
 
 By Claude Joseph Dorat, Musketeer of the King. Illustrated with 
 4/ Copperplate Engravings from designs by Eisen and Marillier. 
 
 DELIA BATHING. By the Maequis de Pezay. Fol- 
 lowed by CELIA'S DOVES. By Claude Joseph Dorat. DIus- 
 trated with 17 Copperplate Engravings from designs by Eisex. 
 
 THE TEMPLE OF GNIDUS. By Mootesquieu, 
 
 with a Preface by Octave Uzaxxe. Illustrated with 15 Copper- 
 plate Engravings from designs by Eisen and Le Barbiee. 
 
 DAPHNIS AND CHLOE. By Loxgus. Illustrated 
 
 with numerous Copperplate Engravings from designs by Eisen 
 Gerard, Prudhon, &c. ' 
 
 THE ORIGIN OF THE GEACES. By Mdlle. Dionis 
 
 DusEJOUR. Illustrated with Coppei-plate Engravings fi-om designs 
 by Cochin. 
 
 BEAUTY'S DAY. By De Favee. lUustrated with 
 
 10 Copperplate Engravings from designs by Leclerc. 
 
 RECENTLY PUBLISHED MASTERPIECES OF 
 
 FRENCH FICTION. 
 
 Demy Svo, with \Q full-page Etchings by C. Coiirtry, price Is. 6d. 
 
 THE BOHEMIANS OF THE LATIN QUARTER 
 
 (Scenes de la Vie de Boheme). By Henri Murger. 
 In crown 8vo, with page Illustrations by James Tissot, price 6s. 
 
 RENEE MAUPERIN, By E. and J. De Goxcourt. 
 
 With 17 high-class Etchings after Toudouze, jn-ice 10s. 66?., 
 elegantly bound. 
 
 MADEMOISELLE DE MAUPIN. By Th^ophile 
 
 Gautier.
 
 2 
 
 Illustrated with Etchings hy Fnnch Arti^tx, price 65., elegantly bound, 
 
 MADAME BOVARY : Provincial Maxnkrs. By 
 
 GusTAVE FL.vrBERT. Translated by K. Maux-Avelino. With 
 an Iutrodui.tioii and Not<'s of the proceedings against the author 
 before the " Tribunal Correctionnel of Paris. 
 
 Illustrated with highly finished Etchings, price 6«., handsomely boutui. 
 
 GERMINIE LACERTEUX. By Eumond and Jules 
 
 DE GONCOVRT. 
 
 "Wlio could take up such books as 'Gerininie Lacerteux' and ' A Cruel 
 Enigma," both, liy the way, admirably translated, and not be simply and 
 absolutely speUbi.aiud? " — Truth. 
 
 In tasteful binding, price Zs. 6d. 
 
 A CRUEL ENIGMA. By Paul Bourqet. Trans- 
 lated without abridgment from the ISth French Edition. 
 
 " M. Bourgi^t's most rcraavkablc work, ' A Cruel Enigma," has placed him 
 above all competitors."'— ^t/*«/KB«;ft. 
 
 In crown 8vo, price 2s. 6d. Uniform with "A Cruel Enigma." 
 
 A LOYE CRIME. By Paul Boueget. From the 
 
 17th French Edition. 
 
 In crown 8vo, price 3s. 6d. 
 
 FANNY. By Ernest Feydeau. From the latest 
 
 French Edition. 
 
 With upwards of 100 Engravings, price 3s, 6d. 
 
 THE EMOTIONS OF POLYDORE MARASQUIN. 
 
 By Leon Gozlan. 
 Illustrated with 16 page Engravings, price 3s. 6d,, attractively bound. 
 
 PAPA, MAMMA, AND BABY. By Gustave Droz. 
 
 Translated without abridgment from the 130th French Edition. 
 
 " The lover who is a husband and the wife who is in love with the man she 
 has married have never before been so attractively portrayed."" — Pictorial 
 World. 
 
 With Six Etchings by Pierre Vidal and a Fortrait of the Author, 
 from a drawing by Flaubert's niece, price Qs. 
 
 SALAMBO. By Gustave Flaubert. Translated from 
 
 the French " fldition Definitive " by J. S. Chartres. 
 
 " The Translator has thoroughly understood the original, and has 
 succeeded in putting it into good Englisli. Tlie type, paper, and material 
 execution of the volume, inside and out, leave nothing to be desiied.'"— Wm/- 
 minster Jieview. 
 
 Twelfth Thousand. With 32 highly finished page Engravings, 
 cloth gilt, price 3s. 6d. 
 
 SAPPHO : Parisian Manners. By Alpiionse 
 
 Baudet. TrausLitod without abridgment from the 100th French 
 Edition.
 
 4
 
 This book is Di/e on the last date sta^lped. below 
 
 mis
 
 i.i^ .."V^JSTTt.. 
 
 ^.K^~ - 
 
 2454 TJ chard - 
 %17M7E My uncle 
 ^'^ BarlDassou 
 
 
 ' ■ ■ """ S L ' X^^ — 
 
 
 s ^ 
 
 a « 
 
 000 572 001 
 
 
 
 
 
 A. ■»' V 
 
 
 
 -^:.X' 
 
 »r 
 
 
 •r*^ 
 
 ^v^fy^ 
 
 
 
 y.-* 
 
 
 >*. 
 
 4 * 
 
 1 f.-f . 
 
 t-i 
 
 -fS 
 
 >v- 
 
 '^A
 
 K«sM«y| 
 
 I'j:^' 
 
 m\