You acted as
he would have had you act. And now I also would remind you once more
that you were christened Szilard and I ask you therefore to listen
calmly to what I am about to say to you. Don't interrupt, don't attempt
to deceive me. If you don't want to answer my questions, simply shake
your head! And now sit down, my son! You are still barely convalescent.
Your head is weak and what I have to say to you might very well make it
reel again."
[Footnote 3: Strong, firm.]
Then the old lawyer tenderly pressed the youth into a chair and sighing
deeply, thus continued: "You fell in love with the daughter of a great
family and she with you. You got acquainted at a dance and the intimacy
did not stop there. Every conceivable obstacle intervened between you,
but love is artful and inventive and you found a way. The rich girl had
a neglected brother whom his relations sent to the grammar school and
the rascal frequently took refuge with me, the family attorney, when he
was ill-treated at home, and here you came across him. You cared for him
and explained to him the difficulties in his lessons which he was unable
to do for himself. The boy grew very fond of you. He spoke to you of
your beloved, and he spoke to her of you, and he was always praising
each of you to the other. The grandfather, the uncle, the aunt, the
governess, the domestics who never took their eyes off the girl for an
instant, had no idea that she was already involved in a love affair.
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