As he spoke, he helped me to climb up.
I clung somewhat unceremoniously to the neck of the Venus, with whom I was beginning to feel on familiar terms. I even looked her in the eye for an instant, and I found her still more diabolical and still lovelier at close quarters. Then I saw that there were some letters, in what I took to be the antique cursive hand, engraved on the right arm. With the aid of a strong glass I spelled out what follows, M. de Peyrehorade repeating each word as I pronounced it, and expressing his approbation with voice and gesture. I read:
VENERI TVRBVL—
EVTYCHES MYRO
IMPERIO FECIT
After the word tvrbvl in the first line several letters seemed to have become effaced, but tvrbvl was perfectly legible.
“Which means?”—queried my host, with a beaming face, and winking maliciously, for he had a shrewd idea that I would not easily handle that tvrbvl.
“There is one word here which I do not understand as yet,” I said; “all the rest is simple. ‘Eutyches made this offering to Venus by her order.’”
“Excellent. But what do you make of tvrbvl? What is tvrbvl?”
“Tvrbvl puzzles me a good deal. I have tried in vain to think of some known epithet of Venus to assist me. What would you say to Turbulenta? Venus, who disturbs, who excites—as you see, I am still engrossed by her evil expression. Turbulenta is not a very inapt epithet for Venus,” I added modestly, for I was not very well satisfied myself with my explanation.
“Turbulent Venus! Venus the roisterer! Ah! so you think that my Venus is a wine-shop Venus, do you? Not by any means, monsieur; she is a Venus in good society. But I will explain this tvrbvl to you. Of course you will promise not to divulge my discovery before my memoir is printed. You see, I am very proud of this find of mine. You must leave us poor devils in the provinces a few spears to glean. You are so rich, you Parisian scholars!”
From the top of the pedestal, whereon I was still perched, I solemnly promised him that I would never be guilty of the baseness of stealing his discovery.