“I knew it,” said the princess, reading her face. “I have not the faintest doubt that you would do it; and--now I am going to knock over some of your idealizing of me--there have been moments in my life when my greed for happiness has consumed me so that I believe I would have been willing to take it, and to let another pay the price. That’s a base thing for a woman to say of herself, but so true it is that I thank God I was never tempted when those moods were on me. Something not wholly different from that panting after an impossible joy was upon me this morning. Shall I never get the better of it utterly? _Can_ one overcome it? Did _you_ never have it, Martha? To me joy is impossible, but it is not so to you. Don’t you ever long for it? I will speak to you quite openly, Martha, and tell you this--when I say joy, I mean love. _Is_ there a woman’s heart that does not long for that? Be as honest with me as I have been with you, and tell me.” “I will try,” said Martha. “I will do my best to be perfectly truthful. I _do_ long for happiness; but--this may seem strange to you, and you may even think that I am pretending to be better or more unselfish than others--” “That I _never_ will! I _know_ that isn’t so. Go on.” “I was going to say that the craving of my heart seems somehow to be impersonal. I want happiness intensely, but the way in which I want it is to see the beings whom I love best have it. Now there are two creatures in the world whom I love supremely--my brother and you. You know that this is so. If I could see both of you happy, in the manner and degree that I want, I believe that I could then be perfectly happy, too. I believe all the needs of my own heart could be answered in that way; and indeed I almost think that my greed for joy is as great as yours at times. It has strained my heart almost to bursting, in Harold’s case, and I feel now almost the same about you. I have never spoken of this to any one; indeed, I was never fully aware of it, I think, until I put it into words now. It must seem quite incredible to you.”