“Getting married!” he articulated in a voice thick with astonishment, and he folded his podgy hands on his stomach. “So suddenly?”

“Yes … soon.”

“Your intended is in Russia, of course?”

“No, not in Russia.”

“Where then?”

“Here in Frankfort.”

“And who is she?”

“A German; that is, no—an Italian. A resident here.”

“With a fortune?”

“No, without a fortune.”