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 Kondjé-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: "Oh, André, come and let me introduce you to this young lady!"
Kondjé-Gul blushed when I bowed to her, and returned 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 conversation 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. Kondjé-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.