It was indeed Mohammed, who attracted some attention as he walked with my houris into their famous box.
"Well, you're right," replied my aunt. "I recognise his charming daughters."
You may be sure my uncle put up his glasses. When all my people were settled down in their box, he surveyed them carefully, interrupting his examination occasionally in order to take a furtive scowl at me. But my aunt's presence kept him quiet. His composure was perfect for that matter, except that he seemed extremely puzzled. There were only three of them—that evidently was not the right number for him. As for me, prudence dictated that I should get out of the way as quickly as possible, leaving him to make what observations he pleased.
As I was slipping away quietly to the back of the box, I heard my aunt saying:
"Are you going to speak to him?"
"No; we have had a quarrel!" he growled, looking again for me at his side.
But slam went the door, and I was out in the passage, whence I escaped to the back of the scenes and to the green-room. There he joined me during the entr'acte. But, as you are aware, "Turks do not discuss harem matters." All I could see clearly was that he was in a fury with me.
To turn, however, to other things, my perseverance on behalf of Kondjé-Gul is at last rewarded with complete success.
After I had spent a whole week in looking about, I found, in the Beaujou district, an institution for young ladies presided over by a Madame Montier, a kind woman of polished manners. She had suffered a reverse of fortune, which seems to have prepared her for the express purpose of civilizing my Kondjé-Gul. There are never more than three or four boarders in the house: at the present moment two American girls, daughters of a commodore who is on a mission to the King of Siam, are finishing their education there. Nothing could suit my purpose better.
When the time arrived, however, for putting my plan into execution, I must confess that I could not help feeling considerable embarrassment. I could certainly have introduced Kondjé-Gul as a young foreign lady, prematurely widowed, who was anxious to qualify herself for French society; but I soon found that this would create an unnecessary complication. Decidedly the better course would be for Mahommed to introduce her either as his ward or his daughter. Under any circumstances it was desirable that I should explain to her the necessity of extreme prudence.