"The world is old in experience," he said. "We couldn't go on meeting and stay at this point, my dear. Love between man and woman, however steady and restrained, has its element of passion. There must come moments when one's feelings get out of hand. The demand of love increases. You have only just accustomed yourself to the idea of loving; when one grows familiar with the idea one has to explore further. That is why I am going out of your life, dear one, until I can enter into it fully. For you and for me there can be no half measures." She was silent for a while, a little troubled at the flood of light he had let in upon the situation which she had been viewing through the haze of an impossible idealism. She realised the truth of what he said; and she felt suddenly ashamed, not at his having stripped away the sham coverings ruthlessly, but for having wilfully blinded herself to obvious realities. She felt that she had been convicted of deliberate dishonesty of thought. If he saw this thing clearly, why had not she also seen it without the need of his pointing it out? "We are lovers, dear; we've admitted that," he resumed. "We can't stop at that unless we give up seeing one another. I want you. You are free to come to me,--free, that is, save for your own scruples. That is why I feel that in making love to you I have not acted dishonourably. I've fought for our love,--it was a square fight, and I've lost. You may be right... I can't say. Anyway the decision rests with you. I'm not going against it. I am going to remain in the background until your need of me is as great as my need of you; then you'll send for me. In the meantime you need not be afraid to trust me. I shall never seek to persuade you against your will."