He finally saw her restored to comparative calmness, smiling sadly through her tears.
“Now you put those things away,” he said genially, pointing to the trunks. “Besides, I want you to promise me one thing.”
“What’s that?” asked Jennie.
“No more concealment of anything, do you hear? No more thinking things out for yourself, and acting without my knowing anything about it. If you have anything on your mind, I want you to come out with it. I’m not going to eat you! Talk to me about whatever is troubling you. I’ll help you solve it, or, if I can’t, at least there won’t be any concealment between us.”
“I know, Lester,” she said earnestly, looking him straight in the eyes. “I promise I’ll never conceal anything any more—truly I won’t. I’ve been afraid, but I won’t be now. You can trust me.”
“That sounds like what you ought to be,” he replied. “I know you will.” And he let her go.
A few days later, and in consequence of this agreement, the future of Gerhardt came up for discussion. Jennie had been worrying about him for several days; now it occurred to her that this was something to talk over with Lester. Accordingly, she explained one night at dinner what had happened in Cleveland. “I know he is very unhappy there all alone,” she said, “and I hate to think of it. I was going to get him if I went back to Cleveland. Now I don’t know what to do about it.”
“Why don’t you send him some money?” he inquired.
“He won’t take any more money from me, Lester,” she explained. “He thinks I’m not good—not acting right. He doesn’t believe I’m married.”
“He has pretty good reason, hasn’t he?” said Lester calmly.