her of the ethics or
physiology of sex, except as pertained to her state as a virgin, she was
vastly ignorant of marriage itself; the hearsay of girls, the equivocal
confessions of newly married women, and the advice of her elder sister
(conveyed by Heaven only knows what process of conversation) had left
her almost as ignorant as before, and now she explored its mysteries
with abandon, convinced that the unrestrained gratification of passion
was normal and excellent--in addition to being, as she came to find, a
universal solvent for all differences of opinion or temperament that
threatened their peace of mind. Beginning with their life in the studio
on Washington Square, and continuing with even greater fervor now in
Paris, there was what might be described as a prolonged riot of
indulgence between them, bearing no relation to any necessity in their
natures, and certainly none to the demands which Eugene's intellectual
and artistic tasks laid upon him. She was to Eugene astonishing and
delightful; and yet perhaps not so much delightful as astonishing.
Angela was in a sense elemental, but Eugene was not: he was the artist,
in this as in other things, rousing himself to a pitch of appreciation
which no strength so undermined by intellectual subtleties could
continuously sustain. The excitement of adventure, of intrigue in a
sense, of discovering the secrets of feminine personality--these were
really what had constituted the charm, if not the compelling urge, of
his romances. To conquer was beautiful: but it was in essence an
intellectual enterprise. To see his rash dreams come true in the
yielding of the last sweetness possessed by the desired woman, had been
to him imaginatively as well as physically an irresistible thing. But
these enterprises were like thin silver strands spun out across an
abyss, whose beauty but not whose dangers were known to him. Still, he
rejoiced in this magnificent creature-joy which Angela supplied; it was,
so far as it was concerned, what he thought he wanted. And Angela
interpreted her power to respond to what seemed his inexhaustible desire
as not only a kindness but a duty.

Eugene set up his easel here, painted from nine to noon some days, and
on others from two to five in the afternoon. If it were dark, he would
walk or ride with Angela or visit the museums, the galleries and the
public buildings or stroll in the factory or railroad quarters of the
city. Eugene sympathized most with somb