"It's from the manager. It contains the news that she has had a fatal accident while out boating. Requests her mother to give further directions." He spoke in a cool hard voice, as though he were reading an announcement out of a paper. "That poor woman! I say, Heinrich, oughtn't you to...." "What!... Go to her? What should I be doing there?" "Who is there, except you, who can at a time like this stand by her ... ought to, in fact?" "Who except me?" He remained standing. "You think that because it happened more or less on my account? I tell you positively that I feel absolutely innocent. The boat out of which she let herself drop, and the waves which received her could not feel more innocent than I do. I just want to settle that point.... But that I should go in and see the mother.... Yes, you are quite right about it." And he turned again in the direction of the house. "I will remain with you if you like," said George. "What an idea, George! Just go quietly home. What more am I to ask you to do? And remember me to Anna, and tell her how sorry I am.... Well, you know that.... Ah, here we are. You don't mind my keeping you a few seconds more before I...." He stood silently there. He then began again, and his features became distorted. "I'll tell you something, George. It's like this. It's a great happiness that at certain times one doesn't know what has really happened to one. If one immediately realised the awfulness of moments like this, you know, to the extent one realises them afterwards in one's memory, or realises them before in anticipation--one would go mad. Even you, George--yes, even you. And many do really go mad. Those are probably the people who are granted the gift of realising straight away.... My mistress has drowned herself, do you see? That's all one can say. Has the same kind of thing really happened to any one else before? Oh no. Of course you think that you have read or heard of something similar. It is not true. To-day is the first time--the first time since the world's been in existence--that anything like this has ever happened."