Lambert hesitated. 'But on that score, too, she's difficult. Maybe I shouldn't tell you this, but I just don't understand it; I'm completely at a loss. If a single evening goes by without anything happening between us, she feels insulted. But practically every amorous advance shocks her, so naturally she remains cold, and she hates me for it.'

I remembered Nadine's surly confidences. 'Are you sure it's she who doesn't want to let a single night go by ... ?'

'Absolutely sure,' he replied sullenly.

This contradiction didn't surprise me very much; I had come across any number of similar cases. It always indicated that neither of the lovers was satisfied with the other.

'Nadine feels mutilated when she accepts her femininity and also when she rejects it,' I said. 'That's what makes the relationship so difficult for you. But if you have enough patience, I'm sure things will work out.'