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 Kondjé-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 me as an absolute duty.

Singular as it may all appear to you, I had already been 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 Kondjé-Gul

had acquired a kind of sacred and legitimate character in my eyes.

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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 Kondjé 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

following up his object. He wished to destroy Kondjé-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 futility of his hopes, his

only object henceforth was to revenge himself on his rival by at least

disturbing his feeling of security.

Yes! you are quite right: I love her! Why should 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 with

this secret and charming bond of union which attaches me to Kondjé-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.




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