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"Well, one morning, Mohammed came into my room with a strange look on his face, that uneasy look of the Arabs, which resembles the furtive look of a cat, face to face with a dog, and when I noticed his expression, I said: "'What is the matter, now? "'Allouma has gone away. "I began to laugh, and said: 'Where has she gone to? "'Gone away altogether, mo'ssieuia!
The night before, Mohammed had seen her go out without seeing her return, and he repeated, in an exasperated manner: 'Gone, mo'ssieuia; she has gone away! "I do not know why, but his conviction, the conviction that she had run away with this vagabond, laid hold of me irresistibly in a moment.
"'What do you mean by gone away altogether; you are mad, my man. "'No, mo'ssieuia. "'Why has she gone away? Just explain yourself; come!
She had not come in, however, and so I opened my window, and called out: "'Mohammed, and the voice of the man, who was lying in his tent, replied: "'Yes, mo'ssieuia. "'Do you know where Allouma is? "'No, mo'ssieuia ... it is not possible ... is Allouma lost? "A few moments later, my Arab came into my room, so agitated that he could not master his feelings, and I said: "'Is Allouma lost?
"Then he added the Arab word r'ezale, which means gazelle, as if he meant to say that she could run quickly, and that she was far away. "Three weeks passed, and I had given up all hopes of seeing my Arab mistress again, when one morning Mohammed came into my room, with every sign of joy in his face, and said to me: "'Mo'ssieuia, Allouma has come back.
"When he came into my room the next morning, I looked him closely in the face, and he hung his head, like a man who was guilty and in confusion. Did he guess that I knew? I, however, asked him, suddenly: "'So you are married, Mohammed? and I saw that he got red, and he stammered out: 'No, mo'ssieuia!
"'Allouma is going to live here. You must spread a carpet on the floor of the room at the end of the passage, and get Abd-El-Kader-El-Hadara's wife to come and wait on her. "'Yes, mo'ssieuia. "That was all.
"Without answering my question, he continued: "'She is very pretty. "'Oh! Indeed. Another time, please, when you happen to receive a pretty woman from the South, you will take care that she comes to my gourbi, and not to yours. You understand me, Mohammed? "'Yes, mo'ssieuia, he repeated, seriously.
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