, my dear poy! my gong friendt! my-my--Idt is
Passil Marge, not zo? Ah, ha, ha, ha! How gladt I am to zee you! Why, I
am gladt! And you rememberdt me? You remember Schiller, and Goethe, and
Uhland? And Indianapolis? You still lif in Indianapolis? It sheers my
hardt to zee you. But you are lidtle oldt, too? Tventy-five years makes
a difference. Ah, I am gladt! Dell me, idt is Passil Marge, not zo?"
He looked anxiously into March's face, with a gentle smile of mixed hope
and doubt, and March said: "As sure as it's Berthold Lindau, and I guess
it's you. And you remember the old times? You were as much of a boy as I
was, Lindau. Are you living in New York? Do you recollect how you tried
to teach me to fence? I don't know how to this day, Lindau. How good
you were, and how patient! Do you remember how we used to sit up in the
little parlor back of your printing-office, and read Die Rauber and Die
Theilung der Erde and Die Glocke? And Mrs. Lindau? Is she with--"
"Deadt--deadt long ago. Right after I got home from the war--tventy
years ago. But tell me, you are married? Children? Yes! Goodt! And how
oldt are you now?"
"It makes me seventeen to see you, Lindau, but I've got a son nearly as
old."
"Ah, ha, ha! Goodt! And where do you lif?"
"Well, I'm just coming to live in New York," March said, looking over
at Fulkerson, who had been watching his interview with the perfunctory
smile of sympathy that people put on at the meeting of old friends. "I
want to introduce you to my friend Mr. Fulkerson. He and I are going
into a literary enterprise here."
"Ah! zo?" said the old man, with polite interest. He took Fulkerson's
proffered hand, and they all stood talking a few moments together.
Then Fulkerson said, with another look at his watch, "Well, March, we're
keeping Mr. Lindau from his dinner."
"Dinner!" cried the old man. "Idt's better than breadt and meadt to see
Mr. Marge!"
"I must be going, anyway," said March. "But I must see you again soon,
Lindau. Where do you live? I want a long talk."
"And I. You will find me here at dinner-time." said the old man. "It
is the best place"; and March fancied him reluctant to give another
address.
To cover his consciousness he answered, gayly: "Then, it's 'auf
wiedersehen' with us. Well!"
"Also!" The old man took his hand, and made a mechanical movement with
his mutilated arm, as if he would have taken it in a double clasp. He
laughed at himself. "I wanted to gif you
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