Dressed only in white, with his face raised toward the sky, he was so beautiful that I could not take my eyes from him.
Then he began to explain,—
"What shall I do? I do not believe in this prophet of ours, who would let others have only one wife, but had as many himself as he pleased. Besides, I tell thee that I like wine. I am not free to be anything except a Mohammedan, but I believe in God, and often I pray as I know how. But do I know anything? I know that there is a Lord God, and that is the end of the question."
After a while he continued,—
"Knowest what, Henryk?"
"What?"
"I have splendid cigars. We are children no longer; let us smoke."
Selim sprang out of bed and got a package of cigars. We each lighted one, then lay down and smoked in silence, spitting out of the bed in secret from each other.
"Knowest thou what, Henryk?" said Selim after a while. "How I envy thee! Thou art really grown up now."
"I hope so."