Propriety and good breeding impelled me to take my leave after this very
long visit, and I prepared to do so. Upon this my young friends murmured
out a concert of confused words, in which I seemed to detect regret at
my departure. Fortunately His Excellency intervened by inviting me to
stay to dinner with them.
Need I tell you that I accepted!
I sat down on the carpet, as they did, with my legs crossed, and we
commenced a delicious banquet. Champagne was brought in for me, an
attention which I appreciated. My place was next to Nazli; on my left
was Kondjé-Gul, and opposite me, Hadidjé and Zouhra. I will not tell you
what dishes were served, my thoughts were set elsewhere.
"How old art thou?" asked Kondjé-Gul, employing in her Italian, which
was tinctured with Roumanian, the Turkish form of address.
"Twenty-six," said I, "and how old art thou?"
"Oh, I shall soon be eighteen." This "thouing" of each other was
charming. She then told me the ages of the others. Hadidjé was the
eldest, she was nineteen: Nazli and Zouhra were between seventeen and
eighteen, the age of fresh maturity among the daughters of the East,
who ripen earlier than ours. Our gaiety and the prattle of their voices
went on without cessation; but as they were drinking nothing but water,
I said to Kondjé-Gul, thoughtlessly, "Won't you taste the wine of France?"
At this proposition she gave such a scared little look that the others
asked her to explain what I had said. This caused a great excitement,
followed by a discussion in which the father took part. I was beginning
to fear that I had given offence to them, when His Excellency at last
said a few words which seemed to be decisive. Then Kondjé-Gul, blushing
all the while, and hesitating with divine gracefulness, took up my glass
and drank--first with a little grimace like a kitten trying strange
food, so droll and amusing was it; then, later on, with an air of
satisfaction so real that all of them burst out laughing.
By Jove, I must say that at this frank abandonment I felt my heart beat
just as if her lips had touched my own in a kiss. Imagine what became of
me when Zouhra, Nazli, and Hadidjé held out their hands all at the same
time to claim my glass. They passed round the glass and drank, and I
after them, perturbed by emotions impossible to describe. This
unconstraint varied with bashful reserve, these fascinating scruples,
which they overcame one after another, fearing no doubt to offend me by
refusing things which they thought were French customs; all their little
ways in fact stimulated me, ravished me, and yet daunted me at times so
much that I dare no longer brave their looks--although the presence of
their father was a sufficient guarantee of the innocent character of
these familiarities.