My uncle Barbassou
Uchard, Mario, 1824-1893 | Avril, Paul, b. 1843, ill
>Ufi^- A.-,^*" ^ ^ ^ ^. -A^ A A. ^ ^1 -^-pA^^A^-fA^-A-^^— ^■^A>^k«^.^L.^^A»^LAi^L.i^^^.i^A^«^«^A-AiA!»A«ArJk.<^A rf> fti A A A A A A.rfL ik A '^■A..flt..,^;fc.^,.fy^„iff^,,<j^j);^,^i^ g tyyyyyiyyVfY yy T 7 ■» T ^ ^ f'T T V T'T T T-T V *» y T T'T f V T f V"? y T t '^' f'^ ^ f iff-^f-^-^^-*--^-^ ^ i.^.t..L...^-.A...AAAAA^^...AAA.^AA.A.t.^ ^^. JLAAAt.AA.AAA.it ^■J^^^^i.^ii-A^ii^.aaa.i.^jij im^(*m(*m(*w<:*m(*m^(*m(*m^. -UNlVERSI-fY 0|J CALIFORNIA " "^ AT LOS ANGELES - i •try ^'i.' IP ^xy . y" A' / ■•' . ^ ''--' it* MY UNCLE ^ N:, BAEBASSOU. By MARIO UCHARD. ILLUSTRATED WITH FORTY ETCHINGS BY PAUL AVRIL. LONDON : VIZETELLY & CO., i6, HENRIETTA STREET, PV.C. 1888. Chateau de Fcrouzat, ,.., 18... No indeed, my dear Louis, I am neither dead nor ruined, nor have I j.^ turned pirate, trappist, or rural guard, as you might imagine in order to explain my silence these four months since I last appeared at your illus- trious studio. No, you witty giber, my fabulous heritage has not taken wings ! I am dwelling neither in China on the Blue River, rior in Red Oceania, nor in White Lapland. My yacht, built of teak, still lies in harbour, and is not swaying me over the vasty deep. It is no good your spinning out laborious and far-fetched hyper- boles on the subject of my uncle's will : your ironical shafts all miss the mark. My uncle's will surpasses 8 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. the most astonishing feat of its kind ever accomplished by notai-y's pen; and your poor imagination could not invent, or come anywhere near inventing, such remark- able adventures as those into which this registered document has led me. First of all, in order that your feeble intellect may be enabled to rise to the level of the subject, I must give you some description of " the Corsair," as you called him after you met him in Paris last winter ; for it is only by comprehending the peculiarities of his life and character that you can over hope to understand my adventures. Unfortunately, at this very point, a considerable diffi- culty arises, for my uncle still remains and always will remain a sort of legendary personage. Born at Mar- seilles, he was left an orphan at about the age of fourteen, alone in the world with one little sister still in the cradle, whom he brought up, and who subse- quently became my mother: hence his tender regard for me. Nevertheless, and notwithstanding the fact that we two constituted the whole family, I only saw him during the intervals on shore of his sea-faring life. Endowed with truly remarkable qualities and with an energy that recognized no obstacles, he was the best fellow in the world, as you must have observed for your- self; but certainly he was also, from what I know of him, a most original character. I don't believe that in the course of his eventful career, he ever did a single act like other men, unless, may be, in the getting of children — yet even these were only his " god- children." MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 9 He has left fourteen in the Department of Le Gard, scattered over the different estates on which he lived by turns after he had quitted the East ; and we may well believe he would not have stoj^ped short at that number, but that four months ago, as he was returning from the South Pole, he happened to die of a sunstroke, at the age of sixty-three. This last touch completes the picture of his life. As to his history, all that is known of it is confined to the following facts : At the age of twenty-two my uncle turned Turk, from political conviction. This happened under the Bourbons. The character of his services in Turkey during the contests between Mehemet AH and the Sultan v>'as never very clear, and I fancy he was rather muddled about them himself, for he served both these princes by turns with equal courage and equal devotion. As it happened, he was on the side of Ibrahim at the time that the latter defeated the Turks at the battle of Konieh; but being carried away in that desperate charge which he himself led, and which decided the victory, my unfortunate uncle suffered the disgrace of falling wounded into the hands of the vanquished party. Being a prisoner to Kurchid-Pasha, and his wound having soon healed, he was expecting to be impaled, when, to his great joy, his punishment was commuted to that of the galleys. There he remained three years without succeeding in effecting his escape, when one fine day he found his services in request just at the right time by the Sultan, who appointed him Pasha, giving him a command in the Syrian wars. What circumstance was 10 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. it that cut short his political career ? How was it that he obtained from the Pope the title of Count of the Holy Empire ? Nobody knows. All that is certain is that Barbassou-Pasha, tired of his honours and having returned two years since to settle down in Provence, started off one morning for Africa, on a ship that he had bought at Toulon. Henceforth he devoted himself to the spice trade. It was after one of these voyages that he published his celebrated ontological monograph upon the negro races, a work which created some stir and gained for him a most flattering report from the Academy. These leading events of his Odyssey being known, the more private facts and deeds of the life of Barbassou- Pasha are lost in obscurity. As for his physical characteristics, you will remember the great Marseillais six-foot high, with sinewy frame and muscles of steel ; your mind's eye can picture still the formidable, bearded face, the savage and terrible eye, the rough voice, the complete type in short of "the pirate at his ease," as you used to say, when laughing sometimes at his quiet humour. After all, an easy-going soul, and the best of uncles ! As for my own recollections, so far back as they go, the following is all I have ever known of him. Being continually at sea, he had placed me at school quite young. One year, while at his chateau at Ferouzat, he sent for me during the holidays. I was six years old, and saw him for the first time. He held me up in his arms to examine my face and features, then turning me MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. H gently round in the air, he felt my sides, after which — satisfied, no doubt, as to my build — he put me down again with great care, as if afraid of breaking me. " Kiss your aunt ! " he said. I obeyed him. My aunt at that time was a very handsome young woman of twenty-two to twenty-four, a brunette with great black, almond-shaped eyes, and fine features on a perfect oval face. She placed me on her knees and covered me with kisses, lavishing on me the most tender expressions, among which she mingled words of a foreign language which sounded like music, so sweet and harmonious was her voice. I conceived a great affec- tion for her. My uncle let me do just as I liked, and allowed no hindrances to be put in my way. Thus it happened that at the end of my holidays I did not want to return to school again, and should certainly have succeeded in getting my way, if it had not been that Barbassou-Pasha's ship was waiting for him at Toulon. You may imagine with what joy I returned to Ferouzat the next year. My uncle welcomed me with the same delight, and betook himself to the same examination of my physical structure. When his anxieties were satisfied, he said to me — "Kiss your aunt ! " I kissed my aunt : but, as I kissed her, I was rather surprised to find her very much altered. She had become fair and pink-complexioned. A certain firm and youthful plumpness, which suited her remarkably well, B 2 12 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. gave her the appearance of a girl of eighteen. Being more bashful than at our former interview, she tendered me her fresh cheeks with a blush. I noticed also that her accent had undergone a modification, and now very much resembled the accent of one of my school-fellows who was Dutch. As I expressed my surprise at these changes, my uncle informed me that they had just returned from Java. This explanation sufficed for me, I did not ask any more questions, and henceforth I accustomed myself every year to the various meta- morphoses of my aunt. The metamorphosis which pleased me the least was that which she contracted after a voyage to Bourbon, from which she returned a mulattress, but without ceasing still to be remarkably handsome. My uncle, it should be mentioned, was always very good to her, and I have never known a happier household. Unfortunately Barbassou - Pasha, being engaged in important affairs, stayed away three years, and when I returned to Ferouzat, he kissed me and received me by himself. When I asked after my aunt, he told me that he was a widower. As this misfortune did not appear to affect him very seriously, I made up my mind to treat it with the same indifference that he did. Since that time I never saw any woman at the chateau, except once in an isolated part of the park, where I met two shadowy beings, closely and mys- teriously veiled. They were taking a walk, accom- panied by an old fellow of singular aspect, clothed in a long robe with a tarbouch on his head, who greatly MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 13 excited my curiosity. My uncle told me that this was His Excellency, Mohammed- Azis, one of his friends at Constantinople, whom he had taken in Avith his family after they had undergone persecution at the hands of the Sultan. He lod2;ed him in another little chateau adjoining Ferouzat, in order that they might be able to live more comfortably in Turkish style : those young persons were two of his daughters. After that year, I never again stayed in Provence : for my uncle, having settled in China and Japan, was absent five years, and my only relations with him were through his banker at Paris, with whom I enjoyed that solid and unlimited credit which you envied so much, and of which I availed myself with such easy grace and in such a superbly reckless spirit. You remember that I received a few months ago a letter announcing this sudden misfortune, and request- ing my immediate presence at Ferouzat, to remove the seals and open the will: my poor uncle had died in Abyssinia. Well, the day after my arrival, I had only just got up, when Feraudet, the notary, was announced. He came in, literally armed with documents. I did not want to act like a greedy heir, but rather to put off for a few days all the most material questions ; my notary, however, informed me that "there were certain clauses in the will which demanded an immediate examination." My uncle had charged me, he said, with numerous trusts and legacies " for the benefit of his god-children and of other parties living a long distance off." All 14 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. this was uttered in a mournful tone suited to the occasion, and at the same time with the manner of a person aware that he was the bearer of an extraordinarj'' document, and preparing me for its effect. Finally he opened the will, which was worded as follows : ^•Chateau de Fer on zat, . . . IS .. *' I, the undersigned, Claude- Anatole-Gratien Bar- bassou. Count of Monteclaro, do hereby declare that I elect and designate as my universal legatee and the sole inheritor of my property : of all my real and personal estate, and all that I am entitled to of every description soever, such as .... , &c.: my nephew Jerome Andre de Peyrade, the sou of my sister : And I hereby command him to discharge the following legacies : " To my much-beloved wife and legitimate spouse, Lia Eachel Euphrosine Ben-Le^7■, milliner, of Con- stantinople, and dwelling there in the suburb of Pera, First, a sum of four thousand five hundred francs, which I have agreed by contract to pay her; Second, my house at Pera, in which she dwells, with all the appendages and appurtenances thereof; and Third, a sum of twelve thousand francs, to be distributed by her, as it may please her, among the different childi-en whom she has by me. " Likewise, to my much-beloved wife and legitimate spouse, Sophia Eudoxia, Countess of Monteclaro (whose maiden name is De Cornalis), dwelling at Corfu : First, a sum of five hundred thousand francs, which I have agreed by contract to pay her ; Second, the clock and MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 15 the Dresden china, which stand on my mantle-piece ; Third, ' The Virgin,' by Perugino, in my drawing- room at Ferouzat. " Likewise, to my much-beloved wife and legitimate spouse, Marie Gretchen Van Cloth, dwelling at Amster- dam : First, a sum of twenty thousand francs, which I have agreed by contract to pay her ; Second, a sum of sixty thousand francs, to be distributed by her, as it may please her, among the different children whom she has by me ; Third, my dinner-service in Delph, known as No. 3 ; Fourth, a barrel-organ, set with four of Haydn's symphonies. *' Likewise, to my much-beloved wife and legitimate spouse, Marie Louise Antoinette Cora de La Pescade, dwelling at Les Grands Palmiers (He Bourbon), my plantation upon which she lives, including the annexes of Le Grand Morne. "Likewise, to my much-beloved wife and legitimate spouse, Anita Josepha Christina de Postero, dwelling at Cadiz : First, a sum of twelve thousand francs, which I have agreed by contract to pay her; Second, my pardon for her little adventure with my lieutenant Jean Bonaffe." If some very precise person should seek to insinuate his criticisms upon my uncle's matrimonial principles, my reply would be that Barbassou-Pasha was a Turk and a Mussulman, and that consequently he can only be praised for having so faithfully obeyed the Laws of the Prophet — laws which permitted him to indulge in IG . MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. all this hymeneal luxury without in the least degree outraging the social proprieties — and for having in this matter piously fulfilled a religious duty, which his premature death alone, so far as we can judge, has hindered him from accomplishing with greater fervour. I trust that, the God of the Faithful will at least give him credit for his efforts. Having said so much on hehalf of a memory which is dear to me, and having enumerated the chief clauses of the will, I may add in a few words that, after the pay- ment of my uncle's matrimonial donations, and the various legacies to his "god-children," with those to his sailors in addition, there remained for me ahout thirty- seven million francs. "But, these children of my uncle's ? " said I. " Oh, sir ! everything is in order ! The Turkish law not recognising marriages contracted abroad with un- believers, excepting in the case of certain prescribed formalities which your uncle happens to have neglected to go through, it results that his will expresses his deliberate intentions. Moreover, he had during his lifetime provided for the future of all his people." I listened with admiration. " So much for the legal dispositions of the ^ill, sir," said the notary, when he had finished reading it out. "Now I have a sealed letter to hand to you, which your uncle charged me to give after his death to you alone. I was instructed in the case of your death preceding his, to destroy it without acquainting myself with its purport. You will understand, therefore, that MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 17 I knov/ nothing of its contents, which arc for you only to read. Have the kindness, please, to sign this receipt, declaring that you find the seals unbroken, and that I have left it in your possession." He presented a paper, which I read and signed. *'Is that all?" I asked. *' Not quite, sir," he replied, as he took another package out of his pocket. " Here is a document simi- larly sealed which was addressed to me. I was only to open it in the case of your uncle's will becoming null and void through your death preceding his. This docu- ment, he told me, would then give effect to his final wishes. Your presence being duly established, my formal written instructions are to burn this document, now rendered useless and purposeless, before your eyes." Again he made me attest that the seals were untam- pered with, and taking up a candle from the writing- table and lighting it, he forthwith committed to the flames this secret document the provisions of which we were not to know. He then departed. When left alone, and still affected by these lively recollections of my poor uncle, I began to think of the letter which the notary had left with me. I divined some mystery in it, and had a vague presentiment that it would contain a decree of my destiny. This last message from him, coming as it were from the tomb, revived in my heart the grief which had hardly yet been allayed. At last, trembling all the while, I tore open the envelope. These were its contents : — 18 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. *' My Dear Boy, " When you read this, I shall have clone with this world. Please me by not giving way too much to your grief, and act like a man ! You know my ideas about death : I have never allowed myself to be pre- judiced into regarding it as an evil, convinced as I have been, that it is nothing but the transition which leads us to a superior state of existence. Adopt this view, and do not cry over me like a child. I have lived my life ; now it is your turn. My desire is, that this old friend of yours should be cherished in your memory : you shall join him with you in your happiness, by believing that he takes part in it. " Now let us have a talk. " I leave you all my property, desiring to create no business complications for you : my will is drawn up in proper form, and you will enter into possession of your inheritance, which, you may rest assured, is a pretty handsome one. There is, hoAvever, one last wish of mine for the fulfilment of which I rely simply upon your affection, feeling sure that between us there is no need of more complicated provisions for ensuring its execution. " I have a daughter, who has always shared A\ith you my dearest affections. If I have kept this second paternity a secret from you, I have done so because circumstances might occur which would render useless the revelation which I am now approaching. My daughter had a legal father who had the right to reclaim her when sixteen years of age ; she is free now, her legal father is dead, she will soon be seventeen, and MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 19 I entrust her to your charge. Her name is Anna Camp- bell, she lives at Paris at the Convent of Les Oiseaux, where she is completing her education. Her only rela- tion is an aunt, her mother's sister, Madame Saulnier by name, who lives at No. 20, Rue Barbet de Jouy. It will be a sufficient introduction for you to call on this lady and tell her your name. She is aware that I have appointed you moral guardian to my daughter, and that it is you who will take my place. In short, she knows all my intentions. "I underline these words, for they sum up my fondest aspirations. I have brought up Anna with the view of making her your wife, and thus dividing my fortune between you ; and I rely upon you to carry out this arrangement. If marriage is for a man but a small matter, it is for a woman the most serious event in life. With you, I am confident that the dear girl will never be unhappy, and that is the thing of most importance. If I never return from this last voyage, you will have plenty of time to enjoy your bachelor's life ; but I count upon your friendship to render me this little service by marrying her when the right time arrives. At present she is scarcely full-grown, and I think it will be best for you to wait one or two years. I can assure you her mother had a fine figure. You will find their portraits in one of the velvet frames in the drawer of my desk. (Don't make a mistake : it is the one numbered 9.) "Now that this matter is settled, it only remains for me to give you one last injunction. If Feraudet has followed my instructions, as I suppose, he will have 20 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. burnt a paper in your presence. This was a second will, by which my daughter Anna Campbell would have been appointed my universal legatee, had you not been living. So long as all happened in the right order, you surviving me, you will understand I should not have wished to complicate your affairs, by leaving you con- fronted with a lot of legal formalities and intricacies. Such would be the consequence of a female minor who is a foreigner inheriting jointly with you : this would have plunged you into a veritable mire of technicalities, restrictions, registrations, and goodness knows what. Nevertheless, it is necessary to provide fully for the possibility of an accident arising to you before your marriage with Anna. Our property would go in that case to collaterals .... and God only knows from how many quarters of the world these would not be forth- coming! As I wish my fortune to remain with my children, it is indispensable that you should not forget to make testamentary dispositions in favour of your cousin, so that the whole property may go to her in the event of your death, without any more dispute than there has been in your own case. I leave this matter in your hands. You will find at my bankers all the indications of surnames, Christian names, and descrip- tions which you will require to enumerate, on the first page of my private ledger, where the account which was opened for her commences, and yours also, forming a separate banking account for you two. Madame Saulnier is accustomed to draw what is required for her : therefore, until your marriage, it is unnecessary for you MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 21 to occupy yourself with this detail — all you have to do is to confirm her credit. "Now that we have settled this matter, my dear boy, go ahead ! I do not need, I am sure, to remind you to think occasionally of your old uncle : I know you well, and that satisfies me. I thank you for what you have been to me, and bless you from the bottom of my heart ! " Come, don't give way, old fellow : I am in Heaven, my soul is free and rejoicing in the glories of the Infinite. Is there anything in this for you to mourn over ? Farewell." After reading this letter, my dear Louis, need I tell you that I did the contrary to what my poor uncle bade me, and that I gave way to my grief. The tears streamed down my cheeks, my heart was breaking, and I could no longer see this last word, "Farewell," as I pressed the letter to my lips. Such a mixture of tenderness and elevation of tone, such touching solicitude to console my grief, such boundless confidence in my love and fidelity ! I felt crushed with my grief, proud only to think that I was worthy of the generosity with which this noble-hearted man was overwhelming me, prodigal as a father in his kindness. It seemed to me at that moment that I had never loved him enough, and the grief at his loss mingled itself with something like remorse. As if he were able hear me, I swore to him that I would live for the accomplishment of his wishes : from the depths of my soul, indeed, I felt certain that he saw me. 22 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. When the flow of my tears had ceased, I did not want to tarry a moment in the accomplishment of his last behests. I ran to his bed-chamber, opened his desk, and found the two portraits. One, a valuable minia- ture, represents a woman of twenty-five, the other is a photograph of Anna Campbell at the age of fifteen. Although not so pretty as her mother, perhaps, she has a charming child-like face ; the poor little thing felt uncomfortable, no doubt, when they made her sit, for her expression is rather sulky and unnatural. Still she gives promise of being attractive when she has passed the awkward age. I felt myself suddenly possessed by a sentiment of affection for this unknown cousin, whose guardian I had become and whose husband I am to be. Upon this cold picture I repeated to my uncle the oath to obey his wishes; then, taking up a pen, I wrote a will appointing Anna Campbell the universal legatee of all the property which my unck left us. But one part of my inheritance, the most remarkable and the least expected, was at present unknown either to the notary or to myself. I don't wish to make myself out better than I really am, my dear Louis : I must declare, nevertheless, that in spite of the very natural bewilderment which I felt on finding myself the owner of such a fortune, my first thought, when once I had disposed of the legal matters, was to pay a tribute of mournful regrets to the memory of my poor uncle. I should have considered it base ingratitude, not to say impiety on my part, to have MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 23 shown myself too eager to enjoy the weahh bequeathed to me by so generous a benefactor. His loss really left a cruel void in my heart. I decided, therefore, at least to live a few months at Ferouzat. I wrote immediately to the aunt of Anna Campbell, to express my resolution to fulfil the wishes of my second father, begging her to dispose of my services in every way as those of a pro- tector and friend ready to respond to every appeal. Four days afterwards, I received from her a most cordial and elegantly-worded letter. She assured me of her confidence in all the good accounts which my uncle had given of me ; and she gave me news of my fiancee, "who for one who is still only a child, promises already to develop into an accom- plished woman." Having discharged these conventional duties, I shut myself up in my retreat, and set to work. For me to say that my retirement was not more dis- tracted than I would have desired, might perhaps be called a dangerous assertion ; but what could I do ? Was it not my duty to acquaint myself with all that my uncle bequeathed to me ? And the Lord knows what marvels my chateau of Ferouzat contained ! Every day I made some fresh discovery in rooms full of curious furniture and antiquities of all ages and of all countries. Barbassou-Pasha was a born buyer of valuable objects, and the furniture was crammed with rich draperies, hangings, costumes, and objects of art or curios : my steward himself could not enumerate them all. But the most delightful of all these marvels is cer- 24 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. tainly Kasre-el-Nouzha, my neighbouring property. Kasre-el-Nouzlia was a Turkish fancy of my uncle's. These three Arabic words correspond to the Spanish Buen-Retiro ; or, literally translated, they signify "Castle of Pleasures." This was the retreat, sepa- rated only by a party-wall from Ferouzat, that was formerly inhabited by the exiled minister who had fled from the persecutions of the Sultan. Picture to your- self, hidden in a great park whose umbrageous foliage concealed it from view, a delightful palace of the purest Oriental architecture, surrounded by gardens, with flowering shrubs covered with a wealth of blossoms, standing in the midst of green lawns, a sort of Vale of Tempe transplanted, one might imagine, from the East. My uncle Barbassou, conscientious architect that he was, had copied the plan from one of the residences of the King of Kashmir. In the interior of the Kasre jon might fancy yourself in the house of some grandee of Stamboul or of Bagdad. Luxuries, ornaments, furni- ture, and general domestic arrangements, have all been studied with the taste of an artist and the exactitude of an archaeologist. At the same time European com- forts are gratefully mingled with Turkish simplicity. The silken tapestries of Persia, the carpets of Smyrna with those harmonious hues which seem to be borrowed from the sun, the capacious divans, the bath-rooms, and the stores, all contribute in short to the complete- ness of an establishment, suitable to a Pasha residing under the sky of Provence. A little door in the park- wall gives access to this oasis. As you may guess, I MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 25 passed many an hour there, and I dreamt dreams of " The Thousand and One Nights." All this time I had never interrupted my labours; for you need not suppose that my nabob's fortune could make me forgetful of my inclinations towards science. In the midst of my numerous follies, as you know very well, and in spite of the distractions of the more or less dissipated life which I have led up to my present happy age of twenty- six, I have always preserved my love of study, which fills up those hours of forced respite that even the pleasures of the world leave to every man who is conscious of a brain. The Polytechnic School, and the search for x, in which my uncle trained me, developed very inquisitive instincts in me. I ended by acquiring a taste for transcendental ideas. This taste is at least worth as much as that for angling. For my part, I confess that I class among the molluscs men who, being their own masters, content themselves with eating, drinking, and sleeping, without performing any in- tellectual labour. This is why you call me ''the savcmt." I worked away, then, at my book with a veritable enthusiasm, and my "Essay upon the Origin of Sen- sation " had extended to several long chapters, when the critical event occurred which I have undertaken to relate to you. I had lived thus all alone for two weeks. One evening^ on my return from Aries, where I had been spending a couple of days upon some business, I was informed that His Excellency, Mohammed- Azis, the old friend of my uncle, whom I remembered to have seen on one occasion, 2G MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. had arrived at the chateau the evening before, not having heard of the death of Barbassou-Pasha. I must admit that this news gave me at the time very little pleasure ; but in memory of my dear departed uncle, I could not but give his friend the welcome he expected. I was told that His Excellency had gone straight to his quarters at Kasre-el-Nouzha, where he was accustomed to dwell. I hastened to send my respects to him, begging him to let me know if he would receive me. He sent word that he was at my disposition and waiting for me. I therefore set off at once to call upon him. I found Mohammed-Azis on his door-step. Gravely and sadly he received me with a salute, the respectful manner of which embarrassed me somewhat, coming from a man of his age. He showed me into the draw- ing-room, in each of the four corners of which bubbled a little fountain of perfumed water, in small basins of alabaster garnished with flowers. He made me sit down on the divan covered with a splendid silk material, and which, very broad and very deep, and furnished with numerous cushions, extends round the entire room. When seated, I commenced uttering a few phrases of condolence, but he replied to me in Turkish. This mode of conversing had its difficulties, so he, seeing that I could not understand him, started off into a Sahir or Italianised French, pronounced in an accent which I M'ill not attempt to describe. "Povera Eccellenza Barbassou-Pacha ! — finito — morto?" I replied in Italian, which he spoke indifferently well. We thus managed to get along. MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 27 I then related to liim the accident which had brought about the death of Barbassou, my uncle and his friend. He listened to me with a greatly distressed air. " Dunque voi signer padrone ? " he replied, uneasily ; " voi heritare di tutto ? — ordinare ? — commandare ? " — "Let me assure you, Your Excellency," I answered, "nothing that concerns you will be changed by my uncle's death. I shall make it a point of honour to fill his place exactly." He appeared satisfied with this reply, and breathed freely, like a man relieved of a great burden. In another minute he asked me if I would like to make the acquaintance of all his people. "I should be delighted, Your Excellency, if you would present me to your family." He walked towards the door and summoned them by clapping his hands. I was expecting to see the wives or daughters of my host appear according to Mussulman custom, covered up with their triple veils. An exclamation of surprise escaped me when I saw four young persons enter, dressed in beautiful Oriental costumes, their faces unveiled, and all four endowed with such glorious beauty and youthful grace that I was, for the moment, fairly dazzled. I took them for his daughters. Hesitating and bashful, they stopped a few steps from me. In my bewilderment I could not find a word to say to them, until after their father had said something to them, they came up to me, first one, then another' and with shy graces and indescribable charms, each c 2 28 MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. bowed and saluted me with her hand to her forehead, then took my hand and kissed it. I must admit that I completely lost my head. I don't know what I stammered out. I believe I assured them that they and their father would find me, in the absence of my uncle, their respectful and devoted friend ; but, as they did not understand a word of French, my speech was lost upon them. However that may have been, after a minute or so they were sitting with their legs crossed on the divan, and all I was anxious about was to prolong my visit as much as possible. Mohammed told me their charming names. These were, Kondje- Gul, Hadidje, Nazli, and Zouhra. He, like a proud father, was not backward in praising their beauty, and I joined in chorus with him, and certainly succeeded in flattering him by my enthusiasm regarding them. Indeed, all four of them were of such striking beauty, and yet so different in type, that you might have thought them grouped together in order to form the most ravish- ing picture, their large dark eyes, sweet, timid, and languishing like the gazelle's, with that Oriental expression which we do not meet with in these climes ; lips which disclosed pearly teeth as they smiled ; and complexions which have been preserved by the veil from the sun's rays, and which — according to the ancient simile — appeared really to be made up of lihes and roses. In those rich costumes of silk or of Broussan gauze, with their harmonious colours, revealing the forms of their hips and of their bosoms, they exhibited attitudes and movements of feline lissomness and exotic grace, MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. 29 the voluptuous languor of wliich can only be realised by those who have seen it in Mussulman women. I imagined myself the hero of an Arabian story, and mad fancies entered my brain. While I was endeavouring, for appearance's sake, to talk with their father as well as I could, they, growing tamer by degrees, began to whisper together — now and then came a little burst of laughter, in which I seemed to detect some mischief. I playfully responded by holding up my finger to let them know I guessed their thoughts, and again they burst out laughing like sly children — this going on until, after half an hour or so, quite a nice feeling of famiharity was established between us ; we talked by signs, and our eyes enabled us almost to dispense -tt-ith the laborious intervention of Mohammed's interpretations. Moreover, he seemed delighted to see us frolicking in this way. In order to teach them my name I pronounced several times the word "Andre." They understood and tried in their turn to make me say their names. Hadidje's was the occasion of much laughter, by reason of my difiEiculty in articulating the guttural breathing. Seeing that I could not manage it, she held me by both hands, her face almost touching mine, and shouted " Hadidje ! " I repeated it, *' Hadidje ! " This was charming and intoxicating. I had to take the same lesson from each of them ; but when it came to the turn of Kondje-Gul, it was a delii*ium of joy. By some chance she let slip a word of Italian. I questioned her in this language, and found she knew it pretty well. You may imagine my 30 MY UNCLE BiVEBASSOU. delight ! Immecliatel}- we overwlielmed each other with a torrent of questions. Eer sisters watched us with looks of amazement. At this moment a Greek servant came in, followed by two other women, bringing in the dinner on trays, which they laid upon small low tables of ebony inlaid with mother-of-pearl. 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 Kondje-Gul, and opposite me, Hadidje and Zouhra. I will not tell you what dishes were served, my thoughts were set elsewhere. " How old art thou ? " asked Kondje-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. Hadidje was the eldest, she was nineteen : Nazli and Zouhra were between seventeen and eighteen, the age of fresh maturity among the MY UNCLE BARBASSOU. 31 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 Kondje-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 Kondje-Gul, blushing all the while, and hesitat- ing 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 abundonment 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 Hadidje 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 Httle 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 82 MY UNCLE BAEBASSOU. presence of their father was a sufficient guarantee of the innocent character of these familiarities. When the meal was over, the same Greek servants cleared the tahles. Night-time arrived and they lighted the chandeliers. Through the closed shutters there came to us perfumes of myrtle and lilac. Cigarettes were brought : Zouhra took one, lighted it, and after dramng a few mouthfuls, offered it to me. I abandoned myself to their caprices. Now, Louis, can you picture your friend luxuriously reclining on cushions, and surrounded by these four daughters of Mahomet's Paradise, in their lovely sultana's costumes, frolicking and prattling, and all four of them so beautiful that I don't know which I should have pre- sented with the apple if I had been Paris ? I assure you, it required an effort to convince myself that all this was real. After a little while I noticed that Mohammed Azis was no longer present ; but thanks to Kondje-Gul, who had quite become my interpreter, our conversation became brisk and general. Hadidje taught me a Turkish game which is played with flowers, and which I won't try to describe to you, as I hardly understood it. 