As you may well imagine, my dear Louis, this unexpected resurrection of my uncle plunged me into a state of excitement, which took entire possession of me. I could not see enough of him, or hear enough of him; and all that day I so completely forgot everything which did not concern him, that I did not even think of moving outside the château. I followed him from room to room, and kept looking at him, for I felt the need of convincing myself that he was really alive. As to him, quickly recovering from the very transitory astonishment into which the news of his supposed death had thrown him, he had resumed that splendid composure, which you remember in him. He superintended all his little arrangements, and unpacked all his boxes, full of all sorts of articles from Nubia, whistling all the while fragments of bamboulas which were still ringing in his ears.
After dinner in the evening, he said to me, stretching out his long legs over the divan, with the air of a man who loves his ease:
"By Jove, it's very snug here! If you like, we will stay down here several weeks."
"As many weeks as you like, uncle," I answered—"months even!"
"Well done!—But," he continued, "won't you be rather dull?—for, unless you have some little distraction——"
"Ah!" I exclaimed, remembering all at once my harem; "I forgot to tell you about this little affair!"
"What affair?" he said. "Have you found your distraction already, then?"
"I should just think I have, uncle!"
"Is she pretty?"
"Why, I have four!"