"'He murmured something of that kind to me,' she said, becoming interested. "'Well, would it please you to mount on a throne, like our august sovereign, the Empress Eugénie?' "Clémentine, looked startled. "'His own brother, Sheik Otham, has charged me in his name to make this offer.' "Clémentine, dumb with amazement, did not reply. "'I, Empress!' she finally stammered. "'The decision rests with you. They must have your answer before midday. If it is 'yes,' we lunch together at Voisin's, and the bargain is made.' "I saw that she had already made up her mind, but she thought it well to display a little sentiment. "'And you, you!' she groaned. 'To leave you thus.... Never!' "'No foolishness, dear child,' I said gently. 'You don't know perhaps that I am ruined. Yes, completely: I don't even know how I am going to pay for your complexion cream!' "'Ah!' she sighed. "She added, however, 'And ... the child?' "'What child?' "'Our child ... our child.' "'Ah! That is so. Why, you will have to put it down to profit and loss. I am even convinced that Sheik Ahmed will find that it resembles him.' "'You can turn everything into a joke,' she said between laughing and crying. "The next morning, at the same hour, the Marseilles express carried away the five Tuareg and Clémentine. The young woman, radiant, was leaning on the arm of Sheik Ahmed, who was beside himself with joy. "'Have you many shops in your capital?' she asked him languidly. "And he, smiling broadly under his veil, replied: "'_Besef, besef, bono, roumis, bono_.' "At the last moment, Clémentine had a pang of emotion. "'Listen, Casimir, you have always been kind to me. I am going to be a queen. If you weary of it here, promise me, swear to me....' "The Sheik had understood. He took a ring from his finger and slipped it onto mine. "'Sidi Casimir, comrade,' he affirmed. 'You come--find us. Take Sidi Ahmed's ring and show it. Everybody at Ahaggar comrades. _Bono_ Ahaggar, _bono_.' "When I came out of the _Gare de Lyon_, I had the feeling of having perpetrated an excellent joke." The Hetman of Jitomir was completely drunk. I had had the utmost difficulty in understanding the end of his story, because he interjected, every other moment, couplets from Jacques Offenbach's best score. _Dans un bois passait un jeune homme, Un jeune homme frais et beau, Sa main tenait une pomme, Vous voyez d'ici le tableau_.