"
Suddenly the princess looked away and spoke very lightly, as though
merely brushing over the surface of the thoughts in her mind: "What
would you have, dear? Men are men--it is well not to question too far.
Even the best of them have to be forgiven sometimes." Under the light
tone, there was an unwonted vibration, and though the princess's face
was partly averted, Nina caught a shadow of pain in her eyes. But the
next moment she smiled. "I can tell you a story," she said, "about a
young bride whose husband was very fascinating to women. The young
wife, with suspicions of his devotion to another lady, went in tears to
her mother-in-law. But the old lady asked her, 'Is not Pietro an
admirable husband? And is he not a most devoted and attentive lover as
well?' And the bride sobbed, 'Oh, yes, that is the worst of it--it is
almost impossible to believe in his faithlessness, he is so adorable.'
And her mother-in-law answered: 'Then, my child, be glad that you have
in your husband one of the most accomplished lovers in the world, and do
not inquire too closely where he gets his practice.'"
"Do you mean to say that a woman can be happy under such circumstances?"
Nina demanded. "If that is a typical foreigner, then I am glad American
men are different! I'd rather my husband were less accomplished and more
entirely mine.
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