Page:Dumas - Tales of Strange adventure (Methuen, 1907).djvu/132

120 of being loved for herself alone, she insisted on my making out a rough statement of my fortune. If this were equal or superior to her own, she would believe in my disinterested affection; if inferior, she must suppose that base cupidity was my motive, and not true love at all.

"This seemed to me sensible and reasonable. I sent to ask her if she preferred my reckoning in francs, rupees, or pagodas; she said it was all the same to her, as she was equally familiar with the monetary systems of all countries. I was not so strong as she was at figures, and so I chose francs, and sent her next day the following paper:

"'Correct Schedule of all profits made in the Indies and present means possessed by me, Jérôme Françoise Olifus.

"Memo: at Bedondo—from manufacture of cigars . . . profit accruing not yet verified, but this can easily be done.'

"Not a bad little nest-egg, you must allow. I had not wasted my time in the four years since I had left Monnikendam.

"V'anly-Ching drew out her statement in the same form and sent it to me—as follows:

"'Correct Schedule of all profits made by Vanly-Ching, tea-trader of Bedondo, in the different trades she has at different times followed:

"Thus within a trifle of 363 francs our fortunes balanced; I had even the advantage, as I had in store two hundred thousand cigars or so ready for delivery.

"Still I must confess that, instead of pluming myself in any way on this advantage, I was happy to possess some little pecuniary superiority over the beautiful Vanly-Ching, to compensate for all the physical superiorities she could boast over me.

"This much allowed, and the fact duly established that I was marrying Vanly-Ching for love of her sweet self and not for her cash-box, the wedding was fixed for three months and seven days after date, the precise period when the mourning for her third husband came to an end. She had shown every delicacy; whilst remaining faithful to the memory of the deceased Judge, she was determined not to keep me waiting one minute longer than was necessary. CHAPTER XIX

THE CHOLERA MORBUS

HE report of my forthcoming marriage with Vanly-Ching was soon bruited abroad in Bedondo, and naturally enough produced different effects on the different inhabitants of the town, who for the last two or three years had been wont to mark the most trivial actions of the Chinese beauty. While some disapproved, others approved; many shook their heads, saying that the first husband had died at the end of three months, the second at the end of two months, the third at the end of one month, and that to keep the account straight, I should probably die on my wedding-night.

"But the one of all others who felt the blow most was poor Shimindra. The kindness I had shown the girl for some while had made her entertain the hope of becoming my wife. In a moment of despair she admitted to me to what heights her ambition had soared; but I had no difficulty in making her quickly understand what altogether superior claims Vanly-Ching, widow of a doctor, a mandarin, and a judge, had over a mere slave-girl like herself.

"It ended in Shimindra's resuming an attitude of proper humility, frankly -I confessing she ought never to have cherished such thoughts. At the same time, knowing that my rival had asked me to make a schedule of my property, she begged me not to include the bezoar in my list. As apart from it my fortune equalled or indeed surpassed my future bride's, I raised no difficulties about promising what Shimindra asked; and the bezoar suspended round my neck in a little leather purse still remained a secret between us two.