With all her courage and strength, she could not quite control her memory, and the words she had prepared so carefully were suddenly confused.

Giovanni completed the sentence for her in his own way.
'I have come to life to find you dead for me, as I have been dead for you.

Is that what you were going to say ?' She was still hesitating.
'Was it that ?' he insisted.
'No,' she answered, at last.

'Not dead for you--alive for you.' He would have caught at a straw, and the joy came into his face as he quickly held out his hand to her; but she would not take it: hers were both hidden under her white cloth scapular and she shrank from him.
The light went out of his eyes.
'I might have known!' he said, deeply disappointed.

'You do not mean it.