L'amour l'après-midi

Frédéric: [voice over] That's why I love the city. People come into view, then vanish. You don't see them grow old. What makes the streets of Paris so fascinating is the constant yet fleeting presence of women whom I'm almost certain never to see again. It's enough that they're there, indifferent, conscious of their charm, happy to test its affect on me, as I test mine on them, by tacit agreement, without even the subtlest smile or glance. I feel their seductive power without giving in to it. This doesn't estrange me from Hélène. Far from it. I tell myself these passing beauties are simply an extension of my wife's beauty. They enrich her beauty and receive some of hers in return. She's the guarantee of the world's beauty and vice versa. When I embrace Hélène, I embrace all women.