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By the way, I located the spot near Sedan where Gordon’s machine fell. Nina asked me to, you know.

[Irritated—expostulatingly]

For heaven’s sake, don’t remind her! Give her a chance to forget if you want to see her well again. After all, Charlie, life must be lived and Nina can’t live with a corpse forever!

[Trying to control his irritation and talk in an objective tone]

You see, I’m trying to see things through clearly and unsentimentally. If you’ll remember, I was as broken up as anyone over Gordon’s death. I’d become so reconciled to Nina’s love for him—although, as you know, I was opposed at first, and for fair reasons, I think, for the boy, for all his good looks and prowess in sport and his courses, really came of common people and had no money of his own except as he made a career for himself.

[A trifle defensively]

I’m sure he would have had a brilliant career.

[Impatiently]

No doubt. Although you must acknowledge, Charlie, that college heroes rarely shine brilliantly in after life. Unfortunately, the tendency to spoil them in the university is a poor training—

But Gordon was absolutely unspoiled, I should say.