Chrysis still kept silence. He continued more gently:
“What are you afraid of?”
“You are accustomed to the love of others. Do you know what ought to be given to a courtesan who does not love?”
He became impatient.
“I do not ask you to love me. I am tired of being loved. I do not want to be loved. I ask you to abandon yourself. For that, I will give you all the gold in the world. I have it in Egypt.”
“I have it in my hair. I am tired of gold. I don’t want gold. I want but three things. Will you give them to me?”
Demetrios felt that she was going to ask for the impossible. He looked at her anxiously. But she began to smile, and said in slow tones:
“I want a silver mirror to gaze at my eyes within my eyes.”
“You shall have it. What else do you want? Quickly.”
“I want a carved ivory comb to plunge into my hair like a net into water that sparkles in the sun.”