‘We never did anything bad, Bernard and I,’ she said in a serious voice, ‘but we did kiss and not platonically. Pascal is so pure. I was afraid he would be terribly shocked.’ She added, with conviction, ‘But he’s only severe as far as he himself is concerned.’ ‘How could he have been shocked? You were children, you and Bernard, and you loved each other.’ ‘One can sin at any age,’ Andrée said; ‘and love isn’t an excuse for everything.’
