“Oh! oh!” she exclaimed, with a movement of horror, hiding her face in her hands.
“Or you dissimulate, which amounts to the same thing.”
Although he saw that she was growing pale, he was unable to restrain his indignation.
“Vittoria!” he exclaimed loudly, as if to startle her, “will you answer me?”
Terrified, she looked at him with wide-open eyes.
“I have always been used to truthful women; will you tell me the truth?”
“Yes,” she declared, as if this reminder had offended her mortally, restoring all her strength to her.
“Why aren’t you glad to return home? Why don’t you rejoice to embrace your people again? Why aren’t you happy to find yourself in Rome again to-morrow, to begin your new life? Reply, conceal nothing, and don’t dissimulate. Tell me the truth as it has always been told to me.”
“I hate Rome!” she exclaimed, offended, and making a supreme effort to tell her secret.
“You hate Rome! Why?”