I took Dominic up to the Villa to
be presented to Doña Rita. If she wanted to look on the embodiment of fidelity,
resource, and courage, she could behold it all in that man. Apparently she was
not disappointed. Neither was Dominic disappointed. During the half-hour's
interview they got into touch with each other in a wonderful way as if they had
some common and secret standpoint in life. Maybe it was their common
lawlessness, and their knowledge of things as old as the world. Her seduction,
his recklessness, were both simple, masterful and, in a sense, worthy of each
other.
    Dominic was, I won't say awed by this interview. No woman could awe Dominic.
But he was, as it were, rendered thoughtful by it, like a man who had not so
much an experience as a sort of revelation vouchsafed to him. Later, at sea, he
used to refer to La Señora in a particular tone and I knew that henceforth his
devotion was not for me alone. And I understood the inevitability of it
extremely well. As to Doña Rita she, after Dominic left the room, had turned to
me with animation and said: »But he is perfect, this man.« Afterwards she often
asked after him and used to refer to him in conversation. More than once she
said to me: »One would like to put the care of one's personal safety into the
hands of that man. He looks as if he simply couldn't fail one.« I admitted that
this was very true, especially at sea. Dominic couldn't fail. But at the same
time I rather chaffed Rita on her preoccupation as to personal safety that so
often cropped up in her talk.
    »One would think you were a crowned head in a revolutionary world,« I used
to tell her.
    »That would be different. One would be standing then for something, either
worth or not worth dying for. One could even run away then and be done with it.
But I can't run away unless I got out of my skin and left that behind. Don't you
understand? You are very stupid ...« But she had the grace to add, »On purpose.«
    I don't know about the on purpose. I am not certain about the stupidity. Her
words bewildered one often and bewilderment is a sort of stupidity. I remedied
it by simply disregarding the sense of what she said. The sound was there and
also her poignant heart-gripping presence giving