He, on his part, came to believe that he was living with several women at the same time, like an Oriental personage.

Freya upon multiplying her charms, had to do no more than to swing around on herself, showing a new facet of her past existence.
The sentiment of jealousy, the bitterness of not having been the first and only one, rejuvenated the sailor's passion, alleviating the tedium of satiety, yet at the same time giving to her caresses an acrid, desperate and attractive relish due to his enforced fraternity with unknown predecessors.
Desisting from her enchantments, she came and went through the salon, sure of her beauty, proud of her firm and superb physique, which had not yielded in the slightest degree to the passing of the years.

A couple of colored shawls served as her transparent clothing.

Waving them as rainbow shafts around her marble-white body, she used to interpret the priestess dances to the terrible Siva that she had learned in Java.
Suddenly the chill of the room would begin biting in awaking her from her tropical dream.

With a final bound, she sought refuge in his arms.
"Oh, my beloved Argonaut!...