XXXII
"Dost thou wish me to hate thee, Si Maïeddine?" she asked.
"I do not fear thy hate. When thou belongest to me, I will know how to turn it into love."
"Perhaps if I were a girl of thine own people thou wouldst know, but I see now that thy soul and my soul are far apart. If thou art so wicked, so treacherous, they will never be nearer together."
"The Koran does not teach us to believe that the souls of women are as ours."
"I have read. And if there were no other reason than that, it would be enough to put a high wall between me and a man of thy race."
For the first time Maïeddine felt anger against the girl. But it did not make him love or want her the less.
"Thy sister did not feel that," he said, almost menacingly.
"Then the more do I feel it. Is it wise to use her as an argument?"