ah looked at a golden heart transfixed with an
arrow and set with small diamonds which served me as a shirt stud.

"Do you like the little heart?" said I.

"Very much. Is it pure gold?"

"Certainly, and that being so I think I may offer it to you."

So saying I took it off, but she thanked me politely, and said that a
girl who gave nothing must take nothing.

"Take it; I will never ask any favour of you."

"But I should be indebted to you, and that's the reason why I never take
anything."

I saw that there was nothing to be done, or rather that it would be
necessary to do too much to do anything, and that in any case the best
plan would be to give her up.

I put aside all thoughts of violence, which would only anger her or make
her laugh at me. I should either have been degraded, or rendered more
amorous, and all for nothing. If she had taken offense she would not have
come to see me any more, and I should have had nought to complain of. In
fine I made up my mind to restrain myself, and indulge no more in amorous
talk.

We dined very pleasantly together. The servant brought in some
shell-fish, which are forbidden by the Mosaic Law. While the maid was in
the room I asked Leah to take some, and she refused indignantly; but
directly the girl was gone she took some of her own accord and ate them
eagerly, assuring me that it was the first time she had had the pleasure
of tasting shellfish.

"This girl," I said to myself, "who breaks the law of her religion with
such levity, who likes pleasure and does not conceal it, this is the girl
who wants to make me believe that she is insensible to the pleasures of
love; that's impossible, though she may not love me. She must have some
secret means of satisfying her passions, which in my opinion are very
violent. We will see what can be done this evening with the help of a
bottle of good Muscat."

However, when the evening came, she said she could not drink or eat
anything, as a meal always prevented her sleeping.

The next day she brought me my chocolate, but her beautiful breast was
covered with a white kerchief. She sat down on the bed as usual, and I
observed in a melancholy manner that she had only covered her breast
because I had said I took a pleasure in seeing it.

She replied that she had not thought of anything, and had only put on her
kerchief because she had had no time to fasten her stays.

"You are whole right," I said, smilingly, "for if I were to see th