Still she was a woman, a
fellow artist; placed in some respects in the same position in
relation to the world to which he belonged, as his Paolina--in some
respects similar; but oh, thank God, how different! Yet women
understood each other in a way a man could never hope to understand
them. What immediately struck Bianca, struck her naturally and
instinctively in this matter of a marriage between him and the
Venetian artist, was the idea that Paolina, almost as a matter of
course, was at least biassed in her acceptance of his love by a
consideration of the material advantages she would gain by it. It
was the natural thing then, the thing a priori to be expected, that
a girl in Paolina's position should be so influenced. Ludovico would
fain have questioned and cross-questioned La Bianca, his experienced
monitress, a little more on this point.
Yes, to be expected a priori. But when one knew Paolina; when one
knew her as he knew her, was it not impossible? Could it be that
Paolina, being such as he knew her in his inmost heart to be, should
even adulterate her love with interested calculations? He knew it
was not so; and yet--and yet other men had been as certain as he,
and had been deceived. In short the germ of doubt had been planted
in his mind. And Bianca well knew what she had been about when she
planted it there.
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