But when everything was all right again we got tired of being engaged, Miss Bamberger and I; and besides, there was a young fellow she'd a fancy for, and he kept writing to her that he'd kill himself, and that made her nervous, you see, and she said if it went on another day she knew she'd have appendicitis or something.
So we were going to announce that the engagement was broken.

And the very night before--' He paused.

Not a muscle of the hard face moved, there was not a change in the expression of the tremendous mouth, there was not a tremor in the tone; but the man kept his eyes steadily on the fire.
'Oh, well, she's dead now, poor thing,' he said presently.

'And that's what I wanted to tell you.

I suppose it's not a very pretty story, is it?
But I'll tell you one thing.