"Have we not all been desperate, at some time?" the lizard points out gently. "As for the simile of one who maintains many lovers, can we say with certainty that such love could never be valid? It is one thing to keep each in secret, deluded with the conceit that they alone hold the wanderer's heart, but if all parties know--and consent in knowing? I at least would not be prepared to pass judgment upon their character."