"I have received from God, it is true, one of those tender and immutable souls which do not know how to disguise or to moderate their passions, who know neither weakening nor disgust, and whose steadfastness can resist all things, even the certainty of being no longer loved. But I was happy for ten years in the love of the man who subjugated my soul, and these ten years I passed alone with him, without a single moment of distaste or lassitude. When age, illness, perhaps also the satiety of sensual jouisance diminished his inclination, it was long before I noticed anything. I loved for both of us, enjoyed the pleasure of loving and the illusion of believing myself loved. It is true that I have lost this happy state, and it was not without costing me many a tear."