0n her side, the self-respect natural to a youthful girl, augmented inMademoiselle de Fontaine by the monstrous vanity founded on her birthand beauty, kept her from meeting the declaration half-way, which hergrowing passion sometimes urged her to invite. Thus the lovers hadinstinctively understood the situation without explaining to eachother their secret motives. There are times in life when suchvagueness pleases youthful minds. Just because each had postponedspeaking too long, they seemed to be playing a cruel game of suspense.He was trying to discover whether he was beloved, by the effort anyconfession would cost his haughty mistress; she every minute hopedthat he would break a too respectful silence.