Page:A Virgin Heart.pdf/39

Rh Rose had given him the example; he had followed her without thinking, but this docility was a serious symptom.

"I am lost. Here I am in process of falling in love."

But like those drunkards who, feeling the moment of intoxication at hand, desire to control themselves, but must still obey their cravings because they have been so far weakened by the very sensation that now awakens them to a consciousness of their state, M. Hervart, while deciding that he ought to struggle, yielded.

He drank off a whole glass of wine and said:

"It is easy to make a mistake at one's ﬁrst entry into life, and to go on making it long after. I am still very fond of art, but I was never meant to do more than pay her visits. We are friends, not a married couple. I have built my house on other foundations; it may be worth much or little, but I live in it faithfully. One can only stick to what one loves. To keep a treasure, you must have found it ﬁrst."

He had spoken with passion.

"What eloquence!" said M. Des Boys.