"'Mo'ssieuia, Allouma has come back.'
"I jumped out of bed and said:
"'Where is she?'
"'She does not dare to come in! There she is, under the tree.'
"And stretching out his arm, he pointed out to me, through the window, a whitish spot at the foot of an olive tree.
"I got up immediately, and went out to where she was. As I approached what looked like a mere bundle of linen thrown against the gnarled trunk of the tree, I recognized the large, dark eyes, the tattooed stars, and the long, regular features of that semi-wild girl who had so captivated my senses. As I advanced towards her, I felt inclined to strike her, to make her suffer pain, and to have my revenge, and so I called out to her from a little distance:
"'Where have you been?'
"She did not reply, but remained motionless and inert, as if she were scarcely alive, resigned to my violence, and ready to receive my blows. I was standing up, close to her, looking in stupefaction at the rags with which she was covered, at those bits of silk and muslin, covered with dust, torn and dirty, and I repeated, raising my hand, as if she had been a dog:
"'Where have you come from?'
"'From yonder,' she said, in a whisper.