‘Yes.’

‘And was SHE married?’

‘She was married.’

‘Have you parents, then?’

‘Yes,’ said Gudrun, ‘we have parents.’

And she told him, briefly, laconically, her position. He watched her closely, curiously all the while.

‘So!’ he exclaimed, with some surprise. ‘And the Herr Crich, is he rich?’

‘Yes, he is rich, a coal owner.’

‘How long has your friendship with him lasted?’

‘Some months.’

There was a pause.