What woman of any world would return love for pity?
Such love as yours was then, is hateful to me.

I knew that, if you saw me as I am, you would love me--like the rest of them--to have and to hold: I would none of that either! I would be otherwise loved! I would have a love that outlived hopelessness, outmeasured indifference, hate, scorn! Therefore did I put on cruelty, despite, ingratitude.

When I left you, I had shown myself such as you could at least no longer follow from pity: I was no longer in need of you! But you must satisfy my desire or set me free--prove yourself priceless or worthless! To satisfy the hunger of my love, you must follow me, looking for nothing, not gratitude, not even pity in return!--follow and find me, and be content with merest presence, with scantest forbearance!--I, not you, have failed; I yield the contest." She looked at me tenderly, and hid her face in her hands.

But I had caught a flash and a sparkle behind the tenderness, and did not believe her.

She laid herself out to secure and enslave me; she only fascinated me! "Beautiful princess," I said, "let me understand how you came to be found in such evil plight." "There are things I cannot explain," she replied, "until you have become capable of understanding them--which can only be when love is grown perfect.