human
Have you the courage to break with all your present life, and to begin a new one with me?
gpt
A new life? he murmured, and, vaguely, uncertainly, as if unable to trust his senses and fearing to lend words to what was monstrous and impossible, he added,
human
With you?
gpt
Yes.
human
You have not the courage, she said, sternly.
gpt
Well, then----
human
Not the courage? he cried, seizing her hand and carrying it to his lips.
gpt
Offer a cup of pure water to a man perishing of thirst, and ask him if he has the courage to drink! The question is not of me, but of you. Have you the faintest idea of the meaning of what you have said?
human
I have learned to look life in the face; I know what I am doing. I know what the consequences of my act will be; I know that I resign all intercourse with my fellow-beings, saving only with yourself; that my only refuge on earth will be at your side; I know that I shall be a lost creature in the eyes of the world; and yet, if I may cherish the conviction that thereby I can redeem your shattered existence, that I can purify and ennoble your life, I am ready.