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 “Stop,” he begged her and took her into his trembling arms. “I’m not your equal in birth ”

“What did you say? Equal? Do you think that if you had been a prince I should have come to you? If you wanted me to treat you like an equal I shouldn’t have been with you like this,” she cried. “There’s a big difference, you understand?” Prokop’s hands fell. “You shouldn’t have said such a thing,” he said through his teeth, recoiling.

She threw her arms round his neck. “Darling, darling, let me speak! Am I reproaching you? I came alone  because you wanted to escape or to get yourself killed, I don’t know what; any girl would have done the same Do you think that I was wrong to do it? Tell me! Did I do wrong? You don’t understand,” she said, wincing, “you don’t understand!”

“Wait,” cried Prokop. He extricated himself from her embrace, and paced up and down the room. Suddenly he was blinded by a sudden hope. “Do you believe in me? Do you believe that I shall do something? I can work terribly hard. I’ve never thought about fame, but if you wished it I’d exert all my strength! You know that Darwin was carried to his coffin by dukes? If you wished, I could do tremendous things. I can work—I could change the face of the world. Give me ten years and you’ll see”

It seemed as if she was not listening to him. “If you were a prince it would be enough to look at you, give you one’s hand and you would know, you would know, you musn’t doubt—it wouldn’t