'Yes, you refuse to do it. . and you want to force me to see that horrible, disgusting man again. . you want to force me to come into contact with him.'
'But I don't want to force you to do anything. You needn't appear.. .You can stay in your own room.. .'
'So I've got to hide myself in my own house, because you won't do this to oblige me.'
'But, Leda.. '
'Leave me alone.' I had moved close beside her, and I was trying to take her hand. 'Leave me alone… I want you to send him away, d'you understand?'
I decided that I must at last take up an attitude of firmness. 'Listen, Leda,' I said, 'please don't go on like this. This is just an idle caprice and I don't intend to yield to caprices. . Now I shall try and find out whether what you state is true; but only if the truth of your accusations can be proved shall I dismiss this man — not otherwise.'
She looked at me for some time and then, without saying a word, got up and left the room.
When I was alone, I spent some time thinking over the incident. I was sincerely convinced that the truth of the matter was as I had said. No doubt Antonio had been excited by the contact with her arm and had been unable to control his excitement. But I was sure that he had done nothing to facilitate or repeat such contacts, which anyway, in the postion he was in, were unavoidable. He was, in fact, to be blamed only for having failed to elude his involuntary desire. Such, moreover, is still my conviction, for I consider that certain temptations are all the stronger for being neither premeditated nor courted.
These considerations, made in solitude and in perfect good faith, dissipated the last of my remorse. I knew that, fundamentally, I had acted from selfishness; but this selfishness did not contradict what I held to be true justice. I was convinced of Antonio's innocence; and I therefore felt no scruple about placing my own convenience before what I judged to be a mere caprice on the part of my wife.
A few minutes later, I joined Leda at table. She seemed perfectly calm, not to say serene. During a moment when the maid had gone out of the room with the dishes, she said to me: 'All right. . you can go on employing Antonio, but you must arrange things so that I don't see him… If I even meet him on the stairs, I won't answer for myself.. You've been warned.'