r to Hurricane, myself and Youmaeale. She dipped a camel's
hair brush into the little ruby flask and compelled the unhappy Spaniard
to approach, and passed this brush over his eyelashes. Then one would
have said that from the eyelashes of this unhappy man there issued a
thousand rays; his green eyes, sunken in his head, protruded and rolled
in their orbit like two globes of fire, and threw such varied and
continual light that they sufficed to light up our feast, while the
wretched man stood immovable as a marble statue, saying in a piteous
voice, 'My head furnishes fuel for the lamps of my eyes!' It was well
that the poor man could not see the fire," said the buccaneer, bursting
into laughter at this cruel jest. "And when the supply of oil in the
lamp failed, the madame's husband went to join his predecessors, in
order to leave his place open to you."

"What Rendsoul tells you is correct," said Blue Beard. "He is very
indiscreet, as you see, but he is truthful. And so am I. I have singular
ideas and caprices, I know; my God! I do not wish to represent myself as
better than I am. Above all, I would be frank with you and conceal
nothing. You would ask why my husbands are the only victims of my
playfulness? I have no power over others. And I always warn them what
will be their fate. It is that which makes it so difficult for me to
find a husband. It is on these conditions alone that Satan signs my
contract, and then this contract, signed by him, acquires a virtue as
wonderful as mysterious. Alas! my friend, may he soon sign ours. I have
thought of two preparations which are entirely different from the
others, and the effects of which are truly magical."

All this time Croustillac experienced a strange sensation, which he
attributed to the fatigue of the day and the evening; it was as if a
lethargy possessed his brain and almost took from him the power of
resisting by use of his reason the impression made by these strange
tales of the widow and the buccaneer. Without believing these fabulous
inventions, he was nevertheless frightened by them as one is by a bad
dream. The chevalier hardly knew whether he was awake or asleep; he
looked at the buccaneer and the widow by turn, with a stupefied air,
almost terrified. Finally, being ashamed to show his credulity, he rose
abruptly and paced up and down a few minutes in the hope that movement
would dispel the torpor which he felt overwhelming him.

Croustillac did not wish to be