Kondjé-Gul's private life is contrived, as well as everything else, to
preserve her against solitude or dulness. She is completing her
"civilisation" with industrious 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
youthful intelligence, is really producing a wonderful intellectual
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 contradictions, 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 emancipated from the restraints of school life. Kondjé-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 Kondjé-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 not at Madame de
Villeneuve's party that I had first spoken to her? Consequently, if any
unforeseen circumstance 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 moralist 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 ourselves. Chance, which
led us into the society of the foreign colony, together with
Kondjé-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 was 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 Kondjé-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.