For the first time he condemned himself.
"Will you answer me?" asked Philippe brusquely. "Are you happy?"
Albert looked at him with an expression of bitter irony.
"I have lost my mother without seeing her again. I have lost my children, my home, my peace—A little while ago I spoke of dying. And you ask me if I am happy."
"I did not mean to offend you, Albert. There is such power in love that it longs to subordinate our greatest misfortunes—or it can give us strength to bear them. You have never known that love—or you no longer feel it."
"You are wrong: I still feel it. But love has never fulfilled a man's entire life."
"One last word. If you gave up ... that love...."
"It is useless to go on. I shall give it up only with my life. Just now, when I was speaking of dying, it was with her. She would follow me, no matter where, even to death."
"I understand. You are all in all to her, but the contrary is not true. How you will both suffer, both of you!"
Albert took his friend's arm.