Oh, Gretchen--'
There was a sob now in his voice, and he seemed to be talking to himself
rather than to his brother, who said to him:
'Gretchen lived in Wiesbaden, then?'
'Yes; but for heaven's sake pronounce it with a V, and not a W, and in
two syllables instead of three,' Arthur answered, pettishly, his ear
offended as it always was with a discordant sound or mispronounciation.
'Veesbaden, then,' Frank repeated, understanding now why Jerry had
stumbled over the name when he once spoke it to her.
Clearly she had come from Wiesbaden, where Gretchen had lived, and where
he believed she had died, though he did not tell Arthur so; he merely
said:
'Gretchen was your sweetheart, I suppose?'
But Arthur did not reply; he never replied to direct questions as to who
Gretchen was, but after a moment's silence, he said:
'You speak of her as something past. Do you believe she is dead?'
'Yes, I do,' was Frank's decided answer. You have never told me who she
was, though I have my own opinion on the subject, and I know that you
loved her very much, and if she loved you so much--'
'She did--she did; she loved me more--far more than I deserved,' was
Arthur's vehement interruption.
'Well, then,' Frank continued, 'if she did, and were living, she would
have come to you, or answered your letters, or sent you some messenger.
Pages:
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244