“And you are very obedient!  But this is no time to quarrel.”

“Be still!  Be still!”

“See!  Here is a soft, cosy place, with everything as it should be.  This time, if you do not—­well, there will be no excuse for you.”

“Will you not at least lower the curtain first?”

“You are right.  The light will be much more charming so.  How beautiful your skin shines in the red light!  Why are you so cold, Lucinda?”

“Dearest, put the hyacinths further away, their odor sickens me.”

“How solid and firm, how soft and smooth!  That is harmonious development.”

“Oh no, Julius!  Please don’t!  I beg of you!  I will not allow it!”

“May I not feel * * *.  Oh, let me listen to the beating of your heart!  Let me cool my lips in the snow of your bosom!  Do not push me away!  I will have my revenge!  Hold me tighter!  Kiss upon kiss!  No, not a lot of short ones!  One everlasting one!  Take my whole soul and give me yours!  Oh, beautiful and glorious Together!  Are we not children?  Tell me!  How could you be so cold and indifferent at first, and then afterward draw me closer to you, making a face the while as if something were hurting you, as if you were reluctant to return my ardor?  What is the matter?  Are you crying?  Do not hide your face!  Look at me, dearest!”

“Oh, let me lie here beside you—­I cannot look into your eyes.  It was very naughty of me, Julius!  Can you ever forgive me, darling?  You will not desert me, will you?  Can you still love me?”

“Come to me, sweet lady—­here, close to my heart.  Do you remember how nice it was, not long ago, when you cried in my arms, and how it relieved you?  Tell me what the matter is now.  You are not angry with me?”

“I am angry with myself.  I could beat myself!  To be sure, it would have served you right.  And if ever again, sir, you conduct yourself so like a husband, I shall take better care that you find me like a wife.  You may be assured of that.  I cannot help laughing, it took me so by surprise.  But do not imagine, sir, that you are so terribly lovable—­this time it was by my own will that I broke my resolution.”

“The first will and the last is always the best.  It is just because women usually say less than they mean that they sometimes do more than they intend.  That is no more than right; good will leads you women astray.  Good will is a very nice thing, but the bad part of it is that it is always there, even when you do not want it.”

“That is a beautiful mistake.  But you men are full of bad will and you persist in it.”