Or clerk in a store?"
"I thought I might get some place as a housekeeper," she suggested.
She had been counting up her possibilities, and this was the most promising idea that had occurred to her.
"No, no," he grumbled, shaking his head.
"There's nothing to that.
There's nothing in this whole move of yours except a notion.
Why, you won't be any better off morally than you are right now.
You can't undo the past.
It doesn't make any difference, anyhow.
I can't marry you now.
I might in the future, but I can't tell anything about that, and I don't want to promise anything.
You're not going to leave me though with my consent, and if you were going I wouldn't have you dropping back into any such thing as you're contemplating.
I'll make some provision for you.
You don't really want to leave me, do you, Jennie?"
Against Lester's strong personality and vigorous protest Jennie's own conclusions and decisions went to pieces.
Just the pressure of his hand was enough to upset her.
Now she began to cry.
"Don't cry, Jennie," he said.
"This thing may work out better than you think.
Let it rest for a while.
Take off your things.
You're not going to leave me any more, are you?"
"No-o-o!" she sobbed.
He took her in his lap.
"Let things rest as they are," he went on.
"It's a curious world.
Things can't be adjusted in a minute.
They may work out.
I'm putting up with some things myself that I ordinarily wouldn't stand for."
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.