I picked up the card and read what was written upon it: LEDUC (D'ARPAJON), Drum-Major of the 79th Regt. of the Line.
To the divine ZOUHRA--Everlasting Love!
It would be useless for me to describe to you the end of the scene.
When I had laughed enough, I allowed myself the delightful pleasure of
undeceiving my faithless houri by explaining to her her unfortunate
mistake as to the rank of her conqueror, whom she had mentally endowed
with a fortune in keeping with the height of his plume.[A] I destroyed
her dream of every bliss by reducing it to so much bliss as was
procurable with a full pay of a franc and a half per diem.
[Footnote A: Zouhra with her imperfect knowledge of French had
concluded that Leduc (D'Arpajon) meant "the Duke of
Arpajon"--whereas, in reality, Leduc, a single word, was the
drum-major's name; D'Arpajon implying that he came from, or
belonged to, the little market town of Arpajon, not far from
Paris.--Trans.] As I made these crushing revelations you might have seen her gradually
sinking and collapsing, with her pretty purple lips just parted, and her
gazelle's eyes staring with frightened astonishment. She was the picture
of consternation.
All at once she darted towards me and abruptly caught me in her arms.
"Ah! it is you that I love!--you that I love!" she exclaimed in a
pathetic tone amid her transports.
I had some difficulty in releasing myself from her passionate embrace;
still I eventually succeeded in doing so, but only to confront a fresh
crisis of despair, whereupon I immediately confided Zouhra to the care
of her maids.
Then, without any further explanations, which would have been
superfluous, I withdrew.
Of course I am perfectly aware that you will try to derive from this
mishap some argument intended to triumph over my discomfiture.
I would have you remark, however, that you have no right to seize upon a
general fact--for infidelity is inherent in woman's nature--and draw
deductions respecting my particular case. All that you can reasonably
conclude is that the man who has four wives is bound to be deceived four
times as often as the man who has but one wife.
That is certainly a weighty argument, I confess.
However all that may be, my misfortune having been made evident to me,
and Zouhra being banished from my heart, it was necessary that I should
come to a decision with regard to her.
The most simple course was to consult my uncle; his own experience in a
similar mishap pointed him out as the best of advisers.