She crossed swiftly to him, and put one heartening
hand on his shoulder.
"Come on, brother. Out with it. Let's have it all now."
He reached up for her hand and held it, desperately. "Oh,
Fan!" began Theodore, "Fan, I've been through hell."
Fanny said nothing. She only waited, quietly,
encouragingly. She had learned when not to talk. Presently
he took up his story, plunging directly into it, as though
sensing that she had already divined much.
"She married me for a living. You'll think that's a joke,
knowing what I was earning there, in Vienna, and how you and
mother were denying yourselves everything to keep me. But
in a city that circulates a coin valued at a twentieth of a
cent, an American dollar looms up big. Besides, two of the
other girls had got married. Good for nothing officers.
She was jealous, I suppose. I didn't know any of that. I
was flattered to think she'd notice me. She was awfully
popular. She has a kind of wit. I suppose you'd call it
that. The other girls were just coarse, and heavy,
and--well--animal.
Pages:
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453