"All the world will bless you! All women will be grateful as I am
grateful--"

"Ach!" he snapped with a sudden change of countenance. "I shall be von
more name and date to make harter t'e student's lessons and longer t'e
tables--t'at is gratitude! Vit' t'e vorld we haf at present no concern.
For t'is, indeed, you bless me--t'at I am not a quack to make public an
incomplete discofery, for ot'er quacks to do mischief. You are glad t'at
it is vit' you alone I concern myself. But you are not grateful; you are
happy because I say t'at you shall be yet more beautiful; t'at is not
gratitude. You might--"

At the eager shrillness of his voice I drew a step away.

"Indeed I'm grateful, whether you believe it or not!" I cried. "You think
all women so selfish! Of course I'm glad that I alone am in the secret,
but you proposed it yourself, and I rejoice as much as you do that some
day--by and by--other women will be happy as I am happy--"

"Yes--by and by! You emphasize t'at," he snapped mockingly, but then he
recovered himself and his queer new deference. "And you haf t'e right; I
vish you to rechoice in your own lofeliness. Ve haf engaged toget'er in
t'is great vork, and it is vell t'at we bot' haf our revards--I t'at I
aggomblish somet'ing for t'e benefit of my kind, and you--since vomen
cannot lofe t'eir kind, but only intifiduals--you haf t'e happy lofe t'at
is necessary to a voman."

His eyes rested on my ring.