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Dreiser, Theodore, 1871-1945

"The Financier, a novel"

Why didn't she do this, and why didn't she do that?
He scarcely noticed that he was doing this; but she did, and she felt
the undertone--the real significance--and took umbrage.
"Oh, why--why?" she retorted, one day, curtly. "Why do you ask so many
questions? You don't care so much for me any more; that's why. I can
tell."
He leaned back startled by the thrust. It had not been based on any
evidence of anything save his recent remarks; but he was not absolutely
sure. He was just the least bit sorry that he had irritated her, and he
said so.
"Oh, it's all right," she replied. "I don't care. But I notice that you
don't pay as much attention to me as you used to. It's your business
now, first, last, and all the time. You can't get your mind off of
that."
He breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't suspect, then.
But after a little time, as he grew more and more in sympathy with
Aileen, he was not so disturbed as to whether his wife might suspect
or not. He began to think on occasion, as his mind followed the various
ramifications of the situation, that it would be better if she did. She
was really not of the contentious fighting sort.


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