human
I must go now, she said.
gpt
Will you not come with me, after all? I am so afraid to think of you still here.
human
No, dear, he replied.
gpt
I shall not desert my post. I must solve the riddle of this man's life; and if, indeed, he is the thing he seems to be, I shall attempt to wrest from him what he has stolen from me. I speak of my unwritten novel.
human
Do not attempt to oppose him openly. You cannot resist him.
gpt
Be assured that I shall be on my guard. I have in the last few hours lived through so much that makes life worth living, that I would not wantonly expose myself to any danger. Still, I cannot go without certainty--cannot, if there is some truth in our fears, leave the best of me behind.
human
What are you planning to do?
gpt
My play--I am sure now that it is mine--I cannot take from him; that is irretrievably lost. He has read it to his circle and prepared for its publication. And, no matter how firmly convinced you or I may be of his strange power, no one would believe our testimony. They would pronounce us mad. Perhaps we _are_ mad!
human
No; we are not mad; but it is mad for you to stay here,
gpt
I shall not stay here one minute longer than is absolutely essential. Within a week I shall have conclusive proof of his guilt or innocence.
human
How will you go about it?
gpt
His writing table--
human
Ah!
gpt
Yes, perhaps I can discover some note, some indication, some proof--
human
It's a dangerous game.
gpt
I have everything to gain.
human
I wish I could stay here with you, she said.
gpt
Have you no friend, no one whom you could trust in this delicate matter?
human
Why, yes--Jack.
gpt
Do you know, she said,
human
I have a feeling that you care more for him than for me?
gpt
Nonsense, he said,
human
Are you still as intimate with him as when I first met you?
gpt
Not quite; of late a troubling something, like a thin veil, seems to have passed between us. But he will come when I call him. He will not fail me in my hour of need.
human
When can he be here?
gpt
In two or three days.
human
Meanwhile be very careful. Above all, lock your door at night.
gpt
I will not only lock, but barricade it. I shall try with all my power to elucidate this mystery without, however, exposing myself to needless risks.
human
I will go, then. Kiss me good-bye.
gpt
May I not take you to the car?
human
You had better not.
gpt
Write me every day, or call me up on the telephone.