“And have I yours?”
“Most assuredly,” I answered. “It is evident, from my diagnosis, that you are suffering from sudden and abrupt alterations in the feelings. You are more especially subject to a feeling of malaise, accompanied by mental depression, as at this moment. Therefore, I must endeavour to remove the cause. As regards the affection you bear your husband, I would presume to remind you of the very true adage which declares that ‘Love begets love.’”
“Ah,” she interrupted, “that is untrue in my case.”
“Am I, then, to understand that your husband is attracted by some other person?”
“I really don’t know; I do not know what to think. He is indifferent—that is all.”
“What difference is there in your ages?”
“I am thirty. He is fifty-eight.”
“Ah!” I exclaimed. “And am I to presume that your marriage was a loveless one?”
“Not at all,” she answered quickly. “I was very fond of him, and he made some pretence of affection.”
“And how many years have you been married?”