PAOLO. So she, foreseeing his intentions, felt that he would come ... by that divination....
MARIO. You are the first husband to get angry because a wife did her duty.
PAOLO. Uhm! Duty--the ugly word!
MARIO. If there ever was a virtuous woman!
PAOLO. Woman or wife?
MARIO. It is the same.
PAOLO. No, no. A woman is for all; a wife for myself alone. Do you believe one marries a woman because she is virtuous? Never! I marry her because I love her and because I believe she loves me. There are a thousand virtuous women, there is one that I love, one alone who loves me ... if there is one....
MARIO. Paolo!
PAOLO. And if she loved him? Tell me--and if she loved him? And if she repulsed him for virtue"s sake, for duty"s sake? Tell me. What remains for me? If he was alive I could fight, I might win out. But he is dead--and has killed himself for love of her. If she loved him no force can tear him from her heart.
MARIO. You think--?
PAOLO. I do not know. It is that--I do not know. And I want to--I want to hear her shout it to my face. And she shall tell me.... Oh, I had the feeling the minute I had read the first letter. I did not then understand anything, indeed, I believed; "I love my husband." But I immediately felt a blow here--and it hurt me so! And I did not know what it was. Oh, before some fears a.s.sume shape, it takes time. First they gnaw, they gnaw and one does not know what they are. I was content.... I told you I was content, I wanted to persuade myself, but you have seen that fear gnaws at my heart. And if she loved him? Oh, surely! The more admirable eh? All the world would admire her. I, myself, would admire her upon my knees if she were the wife of another. But she is mine. I am not the judge of my wife. I am too intimately concerned, I cannot judge, I am the owner--she is mine--a thing of mine own. I must admire her because, while she could have cheated me altogether, she has only cheated me a little. I see that which she has robbed me of, not that which remains.
MARIO. You are crazy!
PAOLO. Do you not see that I am odious to her?
MARIO. Oh, G.o.d!
PAOLO. Odious! You were not here a moment ago. Don"t you see that it is necessary that she have your help in order to support my presence?
MARIO. To-day. Because she knows that you have read--did I not tell you?
Because it is embarra.s.sing.
PAOLO. Not only to-day. You never move from this place. For fifteen years that you have played at being a farmer, you have not been away for a week. And fifteen days ago you suddenly decided to make a tour of the world. She begged you to.
MARIO. I swear--
PAOLO. I do not believe you. Anna shall have to tell me. [_Paolo starts to exit._]
MARIO. What are you doing?
PAOLO. I am going to ask her.
MARIO. No, Paolo.
PAOLO. Let me go.
MARIO. No. Maddalena is also there.
PAOLO. Oh, as far as that"s concerned--[_Calls._] Anna--Anna!
MARIO. You are very ungrateful.
PAOLO. If she loved me it did not come hard for her to repulse him. If she loved him, I owe her no grat.i.tude.
ANNA [_entering_]. Did you call me?
[_Mario starts to exit._]
PAOLO. No, no. Remain. Yes, Anna. I wanted to ask you something.
Whatever you say, I shall believe you.
ANNA. Of that I am certain.
PAOLO. Was it you who begged Mario to come with us? Not to-day I don"t mean.
ANNA. Neither to-day nor before.
MARIO. You see!
ANNA. I did not beg him nor did I propose it to him. But I must say that if Mario had not come I would not have gone either.
PAOLO. To-day. But fifteen days ago?
MARIO. Listen, this is ridiculous.
ANNA. It is natural that Paolo desires to know and he has the right to question me.
PAOLO. I do not wish to impose my rights.
ANNA. There you are wrong. We must value our own and respect those of the others. Fifteen days ago I would have gone with you alone.
MARIO. Oh, blessed G.o.d!
PAOLO. You were afraid that she would say no?
ANNA. But his consent to accompany us greatly relieved me.
PAOLO. Which is to say that my company would have weighed upon you.
ANNA. Not weighed. It would have annoyed me.
PAOLO. May one ask why?
ANNA. You may as well. Because I was shadowed by an unhappiness which you ignored at the time, whereas now you know the reasons. Knowing them, you will understand that I must be very worried, but for the sake of your peace I must hide my unhappiness, seeing that I had nothing to reproach myself with in relation to you. You understand that for two to be together, always together, it would be more difficult to pretend all the time--all the time! While the presence of a third person--
MARIO. But listen--listen--
ANNA. Mario had the good idea to accompany us.