“That may not be.”
“Yes, it may. Only shut your eyes.”
“Like that?”
“Yes.”
I immediately laid hands on a tender place; she repulsed me, but more gently and not so seriously as before.
“You may, of course, seduce me,” she said, “but if you really love me you will spare me the shame.”
“Dearest Ignazia, there is no shame in a girl giving herself up to the man she loves. Love justifies all things. If you do not love me I ask nothing of you.”
“But how shall I convince you that I am actuated by love and not by complaisance?”
“Leave me to do what I like, and my self-esteem will help me to believe you.”
“But as I cannot be certain that you will believe me, my duty plainly points to a refusal.”