He looked at it and then at her. “Give that stone to me,” he said suddenly.
Her cheeks paled as quickly. “I love it too well to ever think of parting with it,” she answered.
“The price of Mariana’s freedom.”
“No,” and her voice was a mixture of a gasp and weakness.
“And yet you love Mariana! How you do misjudge the word! You don’t know what love is.”
“Neither do you.”
“I make no professions.”
“I have no right to give away this stone; it was given to me.”
“Keep it, then. I simply asked for it to prove your inherent selfishness.”
“You could have proved it by a much simpler test. It is one of the dragon’s heads impossible to conquer. Every now and then I give it a sleeping potion, and get some rest. It’s very efficacious, I can tell you.”