"Am I?" He smiled. "Well, if that is the best I have to give—"
"I don't want you to give me anything."
"But I cannot help it, neither can you."
"I have killed a man's love before this," she answered bitterly.
"But you cannot kill mine. I love you, whether you love me or not. I am proud to acknowledge my unreturned love."
"As you please." Claire stopped suddenly. "Are we apt to get anywhere with this subject?" she asked ironically.
"I don't know. I earnestly hope so."
She looked at Philip thoughtfully. Perhaps the truth about her own weakness might cure him.
"Suppose I allowed you to love me, and you found that you had won a woman whose passions were her whole life. Suppose she should prove to be a mere bundle of sex, all polished over with other people's ideas, a social manner, and a set of morals which she did not really feel, which were deceiving ornaments hiding her soul. What would you think of your prize?"
"I should not love such a woman. I could not."