Her resistance
exasperated him, increasing his desire. He was not exactly sure how he
felt; perhaps it was merely a physical attraction and added to that the
wound to his pride, the bitterness of being repelled when he came down
from the heights of virtue, where he had held his position with savage
pride, believing that all the joys of the earth were waiting for him,
dazzled by his glory and that he had only to hold out his arms and they
would run to him.
He felt humiliated by his failure; a dumb rage filled him when he
compared his gray hair and his eyes, surrounded by growing wrinkles,
with that pretty boy of science who seemed to drive the countess insane.
Women! Their intellectual interest, their exaggerated admiration of
fame! A lie! They worshiped talent only when it was well presented in a
young and beautiful covering.
Impelled by his obstinacy, Renovales was determined to overcome the
resistance. He recalled, without the least remorse, the scene with his
wife in the bedroom, and her scornful words that foretold his failure
with the countess. Josephina's disdain was only another spur to urge him
to continue his course.
Concha kept him off and led him on at the same time. There was no doubt
that the master's love flattered her vanity. She laughed at his
passionate protestations, taking them in jest, always answering them in
the same tone: "Be dignified, master. That isn't becoming to you. You
are a great man, a genius.
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