"Then why bother?"
"Some things are written before we are born. And I must, in the order of things, read this writing to you."
"Begin," said Gretchen.
"Have you any dreams?"
"Yes," vaguely.
"I mean the kind one has in the daytime, the dreams when the eyes are wide open."
"Oh, yes!"
"Who has not dreamed of riding in carriages, of dressing in silks, of wearing rich ornaments?"
"Ah!" Gretchen clasped her hands and leaned on her elbows. "And there are palaces, too."
"To be sure." There was a long pause. "How would you like a dream of this kind to come true?"