More and more irritated, he drops his haughty manner, of
which he is himself somewhat impatient, and says suspiciously,
lowering his voice) Who is this woman with whom you sympathize so
deeply?
LADY. Oh, General! How could I tell you that?
NAPOLEON (ill-humoredly, beginning to walk about again in angry
perplexity). Ay, ay: stand by one another. You are all the same,
you women.
LADY (indignantly). We are not all the same, any more than you
are. Do you think that if _I_ loved another man, I should pretend
to go on loving my husband, or be afraid to tell him or all the
world? But this woman is not made that way. She governs men by
cheating them; and (with disdain) they like it, and let her
govern them. (She sits down again, with her back to him.)
NAPOLEON (not attending to her). Barras, Barras I-- (Turning very
threateningly to her, his face darkening.) Take care, take care:
do you hear? You may go too far.
LADY (innocently turning her face to him). What's the matter?
NAPOLEON. What are you hinting at? Who is this woman?
LADY (meeting his angry searching gaze with tranquil indifference
as she sits looking up at him with her right arm resting lightly
along the back of her chair, and one knee crossed over the
other).
Pages:
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71