arted over.

_Fortunately?_

* * * * *

At times he had wondered. But always, his faith had returned to buoy him
up....

Joshua reached out and took Myra's hand. He looked up into the sky. "You
may be wrong, my dear. Possibly it's the other way. A man's ambition--"
he smiled. "Lee called it an obsession once. A man's dream can keep him
alive."

"But why does it have to be so hard? Why can't one of the big
corporations help you? They'll profit from your success!"

"At least I had no competition in the fulfillment of my dream."

They were silent for a time; then Myra said, "But now you can rest.
We'll go away. We don't need much money. We'll have a garden. You can
lie in the sun."

He laughed softly; not with humor; rather from a quiet, new-welling
courage. "We're talking as though it were all over--finished, done with.
That isn't right."

She glanced at him quickly. "But you just said--"

"I know. But I didn't really mean it that way. We aren't through yet."

"You know where you can raise--more money?"

"I know where it is. I'm going to see Lee Gorman tomorrow."

"Lee Gorman! You aren't serious."

"There's no place else to go."

"You'll be wasting your time, Joshua. He'll--he'll humiliate you."

"He probably will. And I may not get the money. But there's no place
else to go."

Tears came into Myra's eyes. "Don't do it, Joshua. Please don't do it."

"It won't be as bad as you think, dear. I guess Lee is entitled to crow
a little."

* * * * *

Lee Gorman looked at the intercom on his desk as though it had snapped
at him. "Who?" he barked. But there had been no mistake. Gorman sat in
puzzled silence for a few moments. Then he said, "All right, show him
in."

Joshua Lake entered the office with his hat in one hand and a briefcase
in the other. He paused halfway to Gorman's desk. "You haven't changed
much, Lee."

"You have," Gorman answered. "You look like the devil."

"I've been working hard." Joshua Lake covered the intervening distance
and stood before the desk. Gorman surveyed him coldly--up and down.
Joshua looked around the office as Gorman sat silent, not inviting him
to sit down.

"You've done very well, Lee. This is the first time I've seen your
plant."

"I've expanded a little since my basement days. You remember my basement
days, don't you Joshua?"

Joshua winced. "Yes, I remember."

"And now you might tell me the pu