you are upon Earth. You do not question the fact; neither
After a few moments' silence I said to her, assuming a very humble air:
"I have heard, Princess, that although quite unacquainted with you, I have already had the misfortune to incur your displeasure . . . that you have considered me insolent. Can that possibly true?"
"Would you like to confirm me in that opinion now?" she answered, with an ironical little grimace -- very becoming, however, to her mobile countenance.
"If I had the audacity to insult you in any way, then allow me to have the still greater audacity to beg your pardon. . . And, indeed, I should very much like to prove to you that you are mistaken in regard to me" . . .
"You will find that a rather difficult task" . . .
"Because you never visit us and, most likely, there will not be many more of these balls."
"That means," I thought, "that their doors are closed to me for ever."
"You know, Princess," I said to her, with a certain amount of vexation, "one should never spurn a penitent criminal: in his despair he may become twice as much a criminal as before . . . and then" . . .