‘‘Let’s imagine for a moment: a husband and wife have lived together for twenty years, very much in love. The faithful wife devoted her whole being to love. She had a boundless appetite for, and interest in, sex. But the husband, in addition to love, had other things he needed to do: he had a social circle, friends, and obligations. His best friend’s wife caused his friend to sink into frightening circumstances. They couldn’t extricate themselves. Everyone knew his character: he was always ready to help his friends; he was self- sacrificing. So he quickly got into the act and saw it through to the bitter end (his friend, of course, was endlessly grateful). Unfortunately, it was a knotty problem: he could get hold of it only by throwing all his strength and energy into it. The most important thing was that he had to be interested in it, enter into a mood that was foreign to him. Only if he was in the right mood could he understand that lady’s whole world, understand the rules she lived by, and figure out all of her desires. Then, he couldn’t relax: he had to play things by ear. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t get results. He was cautious and conscientious in his work, flinging aside all his miscellaneous thoughts. After a time, he developed a strong interest in that lady’s world. He studied all her actions and appreciated them, analyzed them, and quickly became fascinated. At home, whether eating, working, or sleeping, he generally also thought about the lady. Her expressions and gestures were constantly in his mind. He was calculating all her possible moves and planning his next mission accordingly. He also unwittingly adopted the lady’s peculiarities. Now and then, he ran over to the sink to take a look at his face (his family had never bought a mirror). Even more embarrassing was that with time, he was actually bashful when he saw the lady: he blushed and his heart leaped. This was really ridiculous. He hated himself for being this way, but he just couldn’t help it. Of course, this didn’t mean that he became romantically interested in her. He’d always embraced a saintly attitude toward women. This time, he was absolutely selfless in helping his friend: this was obvious to everyone. He was irreproachable. His restlessness was caused mostly by the fact that he was seldom in contact with any women but his wife. Some of it was just as people said: the lady had some evil ways. She tricked people with her sorcery and got her fun from making people crazy.
