'But you must have patience,' she said, 'I am trying to find out something.'
'I cannot quite get it out of my head,' said the other, 'that we deserve to be damned for this. Does not your conscience misgive you?'
'No; rather my honor. I have a hatred of deception. It is the only time in my life that I have deceived. And you?'
'I might do penance.'
He smiled, I thought. He drew the cord of his habit through his slim transparent fingers until one of the knots rested in his palms.
'You could not really mean anything so horrible! And your body, so slim, so beautiful, that I have loved!'
His voice, though it was low, rang also, now—quivered almost.
'You forget that the stripes might be sweet, my well-beloved,'—I could see that his lips trembled,—'something still suffered for your sake.'
She put her hand to her brow, a little lovely gesture, as though all this troubled her, perhaps dazed her; or perhaps it was some old recollection in his voice.
'How absurd we are! We shall be parting soon.'