Page 43 (1/2)

"No, child, don't be dense!" said the red-hairedacross the table at me He was powerfully beautiful Had Bianca loved him? She never said

"The secret, the secret," he said "If you don't believe in this secret, then you'll believe nothing, nothing sacred or otherwise "

He lifted his goblet It was empty I picked up the pitcher and filled it with the dark lovely-s a taste of it, then a revulsion filled me

"Nonsense," whisperedGo ahead There's a clean goblet "

"Oh, yes, forgive me," said the redhead "I haven't even offered you a cup Good God, to think I threw a mere table diamond on the board for you, when I would have your love " He picked up the goblet, a rich fancy thing of inlaid silver with tiny stones I sa that all the goblets were a set, all carved with tiny delicate figures and set with these saoblet for oblet and then thrust it at me

I thought I would become so sick I'd vomit on the floor I looked up at hi red hair He gave a boyish s small but perfect white teeth, very pearly, and he see a word

"Take it, drink," said erous road, Ath "

"You don'tat the red-haired h I spoke to Marius

"I love you, Sir, as I always have," saidin what I say, for I'm coarsened by human blood It's always the fact Only in starvation do I find an ethereal purity "

"Ah, and you turn me from penance at every juncture," I said, "towards the senses, towards pleasure "

The red-haired man and I had locked eyes Yet I heard Marius answer me

"It's a penance to kill, A, nothing, not 'honor, not valor, not decency,' as our friend says here "

"Yes!" said "our friend," who turned to Marius and then back to oblet at me

"And when it's all done, A theht have a trophy of my failure and my defeat, for they will be one and the s

ame, and a lesson for you as well Seldom is it all so rich and clear as it is to me now "