"Well, I might as well confess. There was a long time that I thought that I loved you."
"That would have been a great honor, Nalte."
"I tried to hide it because I knew that you loved Duare; and now recently Ero Shan has been coming to see me, and I know that I did not know before what love was."
"You love Ero Shan?"
"Yes."
"I am glad. He is a splendid fellow. I know you will both be happy."
"That might be true but for one thing," she said.
"And what is that?"
"Ero Shan does not love me."
"How do you know that he doesn't? I don't see how he could help it. If I had never known Duare—"