“'In that case,' I answered, 'I can only be very grateful to Madame Pomegranate Flower that her beautiful eyes have fallen upon me, and that she has considered me worthy of being her companion.'
“'Yes, but there is one more thing.'
“'And that is?'
“'That you must give your word as a nobleman never to try and find out who she is.'
“'Discretion is my noble virtue. I accept that condition, and I add to it that, if I ever were to meet Madame Pomegranate Flower socially, I would never give away that I know her, unless she greets me first.'
“'That is still not enough. You must also promise never to try to remove the domino mask which she always wears.'
“'Now, that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of! Your mistress, I am sorry to say, must have lost her mind during her travels. She greatly desires, if I am to believe you, an intimate friend and even then she intends to wear a veil or a mask?'
“'Yes, but only as far as her face is concerned.'
“'Aah… only her face?'
“'Yes!'
“'And what about the rest?'
“'That might, if the circumstances are proper, be unveiled.'
“'Good. I hope that this will make up for not being able to see her lovely face.'
“That Paliseul is the worst bandit I ever heard,” groaned de Melreuse.
“I agree. Completely without shame. It's positively indecent,” added de Laigle.
“A fine for both of you,” exclaimed de Lyncent. “You two have promised to shut up! Come on, Paliseul, don't let us wait. Your story is getting very interesting.”
“'Do you mean to tell me,' de Paliseul continued, 'that Madame Pomegranate Flower would show herself to me without any clothes on?'
“'Did Eve when she talked to the snake in the Garden of Eden wear any costume?'
“'No, she definitely did not. What you say makes a lot of sense and I promise happily to do whatever you have asked me. But I must admit that I am burning with desire to see this divine goddess, who, if she is incredibly beautiful as you say, dares to show herself in her natural state.'
“'In that case all I have to do is invite Your Grace in the name of my mistress for a light supper. I will be here promptly at nine o'clock tonight to drive Your Grace to the home of my mistress.'
“I already had an engagement for that particular night, but the adventure was too exotic to pass up. I promised the black chambermaid that I would be there on time, at the same time thinking what exactly was going to happen.
“It did not seem that it was a matter of money, for it had not even been brought up. My beautiful paramour- to-be seemed to know me very well, and therefore, she should have known that I can be had for flowers and candy, which really aren't very valuable. Was this woman merely eccentric, or was I about to be ambushed?
“I decided that the latter possibility was not at all impossible, and I decided to carry a gun with me.”
“Oh, my dear God. Sometimes his imagination goes too far! Jesus, man, we are living in the nineteenth century! Things like that just don't happen any longer. You may have some money, but you aren't worth all that trouble,” murmured a voice in the background.
“At exactly nine o'clock”-de Paliseul decided to ignore the nasty remark-“I was at the same spot on the Avenue MacMahon, and a few minutes later the equipage came speeding along the empty boulevard. The golden sphinx was painted on the door, and I must admit that it seemed to me that the Negress was painted black, also.
“I had barely seated myself, when she drew the curtains, and it was impossible for me to see where we were driving. We must have been riding crisscross through the city for at least a half hour when I suddenly heard a whistle. I shivered.
“'Don't be afraid,' said my companion smilingly. 'The coachman is deaf and dumb and this is the sign for the doorman to open the gate. We have arrived.'
“And indeed, I could hear the creaking of a heavy iron gate, and the coach drove through some sort of tunnel. We stopped in front of a large, marble staircase with hand forged railings. It was a very expensive estate.
“Enormous vases of porcelain were placed everywhere, filled with fresh flowers. It gave the place a festive look which was enhanced by the many lanterns which lit the entire front of the building. But, gentlemen, I am afraid that I am tiring you with my Icing story. Maybe I'd better stop.”
“That is like interrupting a serial in a newspaper. To be continued-just at the moment that it gets spicy. Come on, Paliseul, let's hear the rest of it.”
“Fine with me, but let me catch my breath first.”
“Waiter, bring something to drink for our friend here! I think that he was hinting at our lack of hospitality. And we can't hear a sexy story from a parched throat!”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“The house which I was about to enter was by no means a new or modern building. It was, however, obviously a very well kept estate, and maintaining it must have cost the owner a fortune. Moreover, it was located in a quiet section of the city, because I did not hear a sound coming from the streets. The house was quiet, almost dead, which made the many flowers and the brilliant lights look eerie.
“'Would your Grace please walk up these stairs?' Felicitas, who had preceded me, opened the door to a small waiting room which was covered with Oriental tapestries and rugs.
“The Negro woman announced the Count de Paliseul, opened yet another door, and I believed myself transported to one of those fabulous places mentioned in the stories of a Thousand and One Nights.
“On a couch, at the other end of the room, a woman was resting. And what a woman! She wore an enchanting negligee made out of white velvet and red silk. Only a dress designer drunk with love, could have dreamed up such a gown. Her face was covered with a domino mask, but her arms were naked, sticking out of the red silk. I had never seen such beautiful arms. They could have been those missing from the Venus de Milo!
“Her firm, ample bosom peeked through a thin, silken blouse which was barely held together by a few ruby- colored ribbons. She wore some fresh flowers in her hair.
“Her entire dress was so incredibly voluptuous that I was struck dumb. And, my friends, you know that this hardly ever happens to me. Nevertheless, there was nothing in her demeanor, or dress, which reminded me of a courtesan. Not even of a very expensive one.
“I was standing in a huge, high-ceilinged room which was completely covered with a rose-colored velvet, upon which flowers and arabesques were embroidered. Tapestries, artfully folded, were hanging from the ceiling, losing themselves in the corners, making the room look even more enormous. Comfortable furniture was artfully grouped in the room, and exquisite objects of art were everywhere.”
“'A poor hermit welcomes you,' said a melodious voice, and an aristocratic little hand was offered me. She wore a wedding band.
“'A hermit! Possible! However, it seems to me that your hermit's existence has in no way interfered with your becoming an aesthete,' I said, giving her my most seductive smile. 'But I would be extremely grateful,' I added, 'if this beautiful hermit would allow me to share the abode with her. I will do anything in my power to make it very attractive for both of us.'
“'You may not wish that after a couple of days.'
“I looked at her carefully. She was a beautifully built woman. And her whole demeanor betrayed that she was a member of high society. I waved my hand as a protest to her insinuation.
“'Sit down next to me,' my charming hostess said, 'and let's talk while tea is being served.'
“I sat down, quite close to my secretive lady, and she showed neither embarrassment nor the usual shyness which always seems to be unavoidable when two members of the opposite sex are suddenly thrown together.
“We were sitting intimately close together when the black Felicitas announced that a small supper had been served. Meanwhile, Madame Pomegranate Flower and I had been talking as if we had known each other for years.
