out in quest of ink and a pen. "It wasn't an easy
night's work, and I'm a bit fagged out. So, as I leave in the morning,
it will be good-bye as well as good-night."

She moved for the first time. The hand that lay upon the shelf of the
mantelpiece shook and closed quickly. She lifted up her head and looked
at him. Her eyes were misty and faint clouds of color were coming and
going over her face.

"What is it?" he asked. "Surely, Miss Lorne, you--are not afraid of me?"

"No," she said, averting her face again. "Not of you but of myself.
That is--I--" trying to laugh, but making a parody of it--"I was always
more or less of a coward, Mr. Cleek, but..." She faced round again
sharply and held out her hand to him. "Will you let me thank you? Will
you let me say that I must be merely a little child in intellect since
it is only now that I have begun to understand how natural it is that a
pound of gold should inevitably outweigh an ounce of dirt? And will you
please understand that I am trying to thank you, trying to let you know
that I am very, very sorry if I ever hurt your feelings. I don't think I
meant to. I couldn't see then so clearly as I do now. Please forgive me."

He took the hand she held out to him; and so had his moment in Paradise
after all.

"Hurt me as often as you like, if it will always end like this," he said
with a queer little laugh that seemed to come from the very depths of
his chest. "As for that other time ... How could I have expected that
you would take it in any other way, being what you are and I what I had
been? I am glad I told you. You could never have respected me for an
instant if you had found it out in any other way; and I want your
respect: I want it very, very earnestly, Miss Lorne. If you can ever
give it to me I'll do my best to be worthy of it."

She had withdrawn her hand from his and was drumming with her
finger-tips upon the mantelshelf. A little pucker was between her
eyebrows, she was biting her under lip perplexedly, and appeared to be
hesitating. But of a sudden she twitched round her head sharply and a
sweep of red went up over her face.

"Shall I show you how much I do respect you, then?" she said. "One may
ask of a friend things one would not dream of asking of a mere
acquaintance, and so--Mr. Cleek, this night of horror has been too much
for me. I know now that I can no longer remain in this position in this
dreadful city. I have already resigned my post, and will ret