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?"

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 indescribable expression of curiosity.

"But _you_," she replied after a moment, "is it really true that you
mean always to love us all, one as much as another, as you have done
to-day?"

"Certainly," I replied with assurance; "this is the custom in our
harems, as Mohammed told you. Does not that please you better?"

"Oh, yes!" she exclaimed, "but we always thought that you Franks never
loved more than one woman."

"That's what they keep saying in Turkey, to injure us, and out of
jealousy, because we do not ordinarily marry more than one wife, to whom
it is our duty to be faithful."

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

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

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

And immediately, with the volubility of a bird, she began to talk to the
others, translating to them everything which we had just been saying.
They were all in transports of merriment.

Louis, I won't proceed any further. I can guess the stupid reflections
which will occur to you on the subject of this very simple situation
which you, like one left behind, buried deep in the ruts of your absurd
prejudices, take the liberty of judging from afar. Yes, confess it
without reserve; you, moving in the limited sphere of your own feeble
experiences, are about to pronounce my amours eccentric. On the
fallacious ground that it is unnatural to love and be loved by four
women at a time, you, like any other miserable sceptic, are shocked by
the freedom of simple sentiments which you are unable to appreciate.
First, then, let me assure you that in their own minds none of them
conceived the slightest irregularity in their position. According to the
la