quently brought home a girl
who did not instantly win his mother's affection. In that case she
went her way next morning after breakfast, and that was all. Our
regard for chastity was incomprehensible to Malicious Gossip,
instructed though she was in all the codes of the church. It was to
her a creed preached to others by the whites, like wearing shoes or
making the Sabbath a day of gloom, and though she had been told that
violation of this code meant roasting forever as in a cannibal pit
whose fires were never extinguished, her mind could perceive no
reason for it. She could attach no blame to an act that seemed to
her an innocent, natural, and harmless amusement.

The truth is that no value was, or is, attached to maidenhood in all
Polynesia, the young woman being left to her own whims without blame
or care. Only deep and sincere attachment holds her at last to the
man she has chosen, and she then follows his wishes in matters of
fidelity, though still to a large extent remaining mistress of
herself.

The Marquesan woman, however, often denies her husband the freedom
she herself openly enjoys. This custom persists as a striking
survival of polyandry, in which fidelity under pain of dismissal
from the roof-tree was imposed by the wife on all who shared her
affections.

This was exactly the status of a household not far from my cabin.
Haabuani, master of ceremonies at the dances, the best carver and
drum-beater of all Atuona, who was of pure Marquesan blood, but
spoke French fluently and earnestly defended the doctrine of the
Pope's infallibility,--even coming to actual blows with a defiant
Protestant upon my very _paepae_--explained his attitude.

"If I have a friend and he temporarily desires my wife, Toho, I am
glad if she is willing. But my enemy shall not have that privilege
with my consent. I would be glad to have you look upon her with favor.
You are kind to me. You have treated me as a chief and you have
bought my _kava_ bowl. But, _ecoutez, Monsieur_, Toho does what she
pleases, yet if I toss but a pebble in another pool she is furious.
See, I have the bruises still of her beating."

With a tearful whine he showed the black-and-blue imprints of Toho's
anger, and made it known to us that the three _piastres_ he had of
me for the _kava_ bowl had been traced by his wife to the till of Le
Brunnec's store, where Flower, the daughter of Lam Kai Oo, had spent
them for ribbons. Toho in her fury had beaten him so