topped, stumbling in his progress, and then,
recovering himself, lifted his hat solemnly. She did not move nor make
an answering gesture. He saw her only immobile, looking down at him.

* * * * *

When he returned to the Court and stopped mechanically at the desk for
his mail, Della, with her welcoming smile, chided him.

"My, but you look awful serious, Mr. Crocker!"

"Am I?-- Yes, I suppose so," he said absent-mindedly.

He went through into the inner court that yesterday had seemed to him
such a constricted little spot in the great city which had responded to
his fortunate touch. Now, in the falling dusk, with the lights
blossoming out, the court seemed very big, crowded with human beings in
the battle of life, and he himself small and without significance.

"Well, I've gone and done it," he said to himself with a half laugh. "I
wonder--"

He wondered, now that it was all over, now that the curtain had dropped
on the drama of it, whether after all Drake had been right--whether he
was seeing life through his emotions, and what the point of view of
thirty-five and forty would be in retrospection.

"Well, I've chucked it all," he said, lingering in the quiet and the
suffused half lights. "I took the bit in my teeth. There's no turning
back now." He remembered his father and the old battling look of
defiance in his eyes as he had exhorted his son.

"Guess, after all," he said grimly, feeling all at once drawn closer to
his own, "I must be a chip of the old block."

Granning alone was in the study as he came in, spinning his hat on to
the sofa.

"Well, Granning, I've up and done it," he said shortly.

"Eh, what?" said Granning, looking up rather alarmed.

He told him.

"And so, Granning, I'm a horny-handed son of labor from this time
forth," he said in conclusion. "You'll have to find me a job!" The laugh
failed. It seemed out of place at that moment with Granning staring at
him. He added quietly: "Guess self-respect is worth more than I
thought!"

"God, I'm glad!" said Granning, bringing down his great fist.

He had never in all the long friendship seen Granning so stirred!

CHAPTER XX

BOJO HUNTS A JOB

"Well, now to hunt a job!"

He woke up the next morning with this one idea dominant, dressed to a
whistling accompaniment, and came gaily to breakfast. A load seemed to
have been suddenly lifted from his mind, the day fair and the future
keen with the zest