"Why not?"

"Because it is useless, and I tell them so at once. If you had
confessed your fears to me sooner, I would have reassured you. My
dear friend, a man in love is not only foolish but dangerous. I
cease all intercourse with people who love me or pretend to;
firstly, because they bore me, and secondly, because I look upon
them with dread, as I would upon a mad dog. I know that your love is
only a kind of appetite; while with me it would be a communion of
souls. Now, look me in the face--" she no longer smiled. "I will
never be your sweetheart; it is therefore useless for you to persist
in your efforts. And now that I have explained, shall we be
friends?"

He knew that that sentence was irrevocable, and delighted to be able
to form such an alliance as she proposed, he extended both hands,
saying:

"I am yours, Madame, to do with as you will"

He kissed her hands and raising his head said: "If I had found a
woman like you, how gladly would I have married her."

She was touched by those words, and in a soft voice, placing her
hand upon his arm, she said: "I am going to begin my offices at
once. You are not diplomatic--" she hesitated. "May I speak freely?"

"Yes."

"Call upon Mme. Walter who has taken a fancy to you. But be guarded