Maxim's Declaration

After the narrator's mention of his wife, Maxim stops the car and tells her that all memories are bitter and he wants to forget the past. He says she has blotted out the past for him more effectively than the bright lights of Monte Carlo. He asks her to come with him because he wants her company. She is moved, and he kisses her hand. He then pulls her beside him and kisses the top of her head, telling her to call him Maxim.