Theodore Dreiser Jennie Gerhardt; a novel

particular measure of success in this adventure, he rode pleasantly into 
Chicago confident in the reflection that he had all the powers of morality 
and justice on his side. 
Upon Robert's arrival, the third morning after Louise's interview, he called 
up the warerooms, but Lester was not there. He then telephoned to the 
house, and tactfully made an appointment. Lester was still indisposed, but 
he preferred to come down to the office, and he did. He met Robert in his 
cheerful, nonchalant way, and together they talked business for a time. 
Then followed a pregnant silence. 
"Well, I suppose you know what brought me up here," began Robert 
tentatively. 
"I think I could make a guess at it," Lester replied. 
"They were all very much worried over the fact that you were sick—mother 
particularly. You're not in any danger of having a relapse, are you?" 
"I think not." 
"Louise said there was some sort of a peculiar ménage she ran into up here. 
You're not married, are you?" 
"No." 
"The young woman Louise saw is just—" Robert waved his hand 
expressively. 
Lester nodded. 
"I don't want to be inquisitive, Lester. I didn't come up for that. I'm simply 
here because the family felt that I ought to come. Mother was so very much 
distressed that I couldn't do less than see you for her sake"—he paused, and 
Lester, touched by the fairness and respect of his attitude, felt that mere 
courtesy at least made some explanation due. 
"I don't know that anything I can say will help matters much," he replied 
thoughtfully. "There's really nothing to be said. I have the woman and the 
family has its objections. The chief difficulty about the thing seems to be the 
bad luck in being found out." 

---

He stopped, and Robert turned over the substance of this worldly reasoning 
in his mind. Lester was very calm about it. He seemed, as usual, to be most 
convincingly sane. 
"You're not contemplating marrying her, are you?" queried Robert 
hesitatingly. 
"I hadn't come to that," answered Lester coolly. 
They looked at each other quietly for a moment, and then Robert turned his 
glance to the distant scene of the city. 
"It's useless to ask whether you are seriously in love with her, I suppose," 
ventured Robert. 
"I don't know whether I'd be able to discuss that divine afflatus with you or 
not," returned Lester, with a touch of grim humor. "I have never experienced 
the sensation myself. All I know is that the lady is very pleasing to me." 
"Well, it's all a question of your own well-being and the family's, Lester," 
went on Robert, after another pause. "Morality doesn't seem to figure in it 
anyway—at least you and I can't discuss that together. Your feelings on that 
score naturally relate to you alone. But the matter of your own personal 
welfare seems to me to be substantial enough ground to base a plea on. The 
family's feelings and pride are also fairly important. Father's the kind of a 
man who sets more store by the honor of his family than most men. You 
know that as well as I do, of course." 
"I know how father feels about it," returned Lester. "The whole business is as 
clear to me as it is to any of you, though off-hand I don't see just what's to 
be done about it. These matters aren't always of a day's growth, and they 
can't be settled in a day. The girl's here. To a certain extent I'm responsible 
that she is here. While I'm not willing to go into details, there's always more 
in these affairs than appears on the court calendar." 
"Of course I don't know what your relations with her have been," returned 
Robert, "and I'm not curious to know, but it does look like a bit of injustice 
all around, don't you think—unless you intend to marry her?" This last was 
put forth as a feeler. 
"I might be willing to agree to that, too," was Lester's baffling reply, "if 
anything were to be gained by it. The point is, the woman is here, and the 
family is in possession of the fact. Now if there is anything to be done I have 
to do it. There isn't anybody else who can act for me in this matter." 
Lester lapsed into a silence, and Robert rose and paced the floor, coming 
back after a time to say: "You say you haven't any idea of marrying her—or 
rather you haven't come to it. I wouldn't, Lester. It seems to me you would 
be making the mistake of your life, from every point of view. I don't want to 

---

orate, but a man of your position has so much to lose; you can't afford to do 
it. Aside from family considerations, you have too much at stake. You'd be 
simply throwing your life away—" 
He paused, with his right hand held out before him, as was customary when 
he was deeply in earnest, and Lester felt the candor and simplicity of this 
appeal. Robert was not criticizing him now. He was making an appeal to 
him, and this was somewhat different. 
The appeal passed without comment, however, and then Robert began on a 
new tack, this time picturing old Archibald's fondness for Lester and the 
hope he had always entertained that he would marry some well-to-do 
Cincinnati girl, Catholic, if agreeable to him, but at least worthy of his 
station. And Mrs. Kane felt the same way; surely Lester must realize that. 
"I know just how all of them feel about it," Lester interrupted at last, "but I 
don't see that anything's to be done right now." 
"You mean that you don't think it would be policy for you to give her up just 
at present?" 
"I mean that she's been exceptionally good to me, and that I'm morally 
under obligations to do the best I can by her. What that may be, I can't tell." 
"To live with her?" inquired Robert coolly. 
"Certainly not to turn her out bag and baggage if she has been accustomed 
to live with me," replied Lester. 
Robert sat down again, as if he considered his recent appeal futile. 
"Can't family reasons persuade you to make some amicable arrangements 
with her and let her go?" 
"Not without due consideration of the matter; no." 
"You don't think you could hold out some hope that the thing will end 
quickly—something that would give me a reasonable excuse for softening 
down the pain of it to the family?" 
"I would be perfectly willing to do anything which would take away the edge 
of this thing for the family, but the truth's the truth, and I can't see any 
room for equivocation between you and me. As I've said before, these 
relationships are involved with things which make it impossible to discuss 
them—unfair to me, unfair to the woman. No one can see how they are to be 
handled, except the people that are in them, and even they can't always see. 
I'd be a damned dog to stand up here and give you my word to do anything 
except the best I can." 

---

Lester stopped, and now Robert rose and paced the floor again, only to come 
back after a time and say, "You don't think there's anything to be done just 
at present?" 
"Not at present." 
"Very well, then, I expect I might as well be going. I don't know that there's 
anything else we can talk about." 
"Won't you stay and take lunch with me? I think I might manage to get down 
to the hotel if you'll stay." 
"No, thank you," answered Robert. "I believe I can make that one o'clock 
train for Cincinnati. I'll try, anyhow." 
They stood before each other now, Lester pale and rather flaccid, Robert 
clear, wax-like, well-knit, and shrewd, and one could see the difference time 
had already made. Robert was the clean, decisive man, Lester the man of 
doubts. Robert was the spirit of business energy and integrity embodied, 
Lester the spirit of commercial self-sufficiency, looking at life with an 
uncertain eye. Together they made a striking picture, which was none the 
less powerful for the thoughts that were now running through their minds. 
"Well," said the older brother, after a time, "I don't suppose there is anything 
more I can say. I had hoped to make you feel just as we do about this thing, 
but of course you are your own best judge of this. If you don't see it now, 
nothing I could say would make you. It strikes me as a very bad move on 
your part though." 
Lester listened. He said nothing, but his face expressed an unchanged 
purpose. 
Robert turned for his hat, and they walked to the office door together. 
"I'll put the best face I can on it," said Robert, and walked out.