“No, that’s the last thing I could do. I’m through with all that.”
“Oh, my God! Oh, my God!”
He raised his head, and saw that she was biting her handkerchief. “Naomi,” he said. “Naomi,” and the sound of her name seemed to precipitate a sudden climax. She fell on her knees and beat them with her fists.
“You won’t do that, Philip. You can’t ... you can’t leave me for everybody to mock at. Say that you won’t ... I was wrong in the beginning, but now I’ll do anything. I’ll lie down and let you walk over my body!”
“Naomi,” he said. “Please! For God’s sake!”
“Oh, don’t you see! It’s different now ... I love you. Don’t you see that makes it different?”
“It can’t make it different, Naomi. I can’t pretend what isn’t true ... it’s a thing a man can’t do.”
Suddenly she stopped sobbing and looked up at him, her face all white and contorted. “You can’t say that! You can’t mean it! It isn’t true!”
“It’s true, Naomi. I can’t help myself. I wish to God I could!”
“And you didn’t love me ... even ... even then?”