are wiser than such a fool
as I am. They say that you have just begin to do great things for the
poor folks. You shall take the water-pipes away from the men who have
poison them. Ah, that is what they say. I do not understand, but they
say it shall be so."

"Other men can do it," said Farr, curtly.

"And yet you will come back--when?" The old man was struggling with his
bewilderment and doubt.

"Never."

He understood how he was hurting that old man, but bitterness and
hopelessness were crowding all tender feelings out of Farr at that
moment. Once more he put on the mask of cynicism. He feared to show
anybody the depths of his soul.

In the good woman's little sitting-room they found Zelie Dionne.

"I have stopped in to say good-by, Miss Zelie. I am going away. I'm
sorry that the grand young man from Tadousac is not here."

"He comes to sit with me in the evening. You shall wait and see him."

"No, I must hurry on."

"I have been reading about you." She tapped the newspaper in her hand.
"The boy just passed, crying the news. It is very wonderful what you
have done. Now you will be the great man. But I knew all the time that
you were much more than you seemed to be."

"However, you don't seem to understand me just now," he declared. "I am
going away from this city--from this state. I am going to stay away."

"_Oui_, he have say that thing to me," said old Etienne, brokenly. "And
I do not understand."

"And _I_ do not understand."

"I'm tired--put it that way."

"Ah no, that is not it."

"Well, I am more or less of a sneak and a quitter when it comes to a
pinch. I don't want you two good folks to feel sorry about me. Forget
me. That will be the best way. I hope you will be very happy in
Tadousac, Miss Zelie."

"I hoped we were better friends," she said simply. "I am very sad to
find you do not trust us."

"Oh, I'm selfish--that's it. Remember me as a selfish man who was tired
and ran away."

"We have talked about you, Uncle Etienne and I, and we have never said
that you are selfish."

"That shows you don't know me," said Farr, roughly.

"But we know what you have done," insisted the old man, with patient
confidence. "For what you say you shall not do we do not care about
that. For we have seen what you have done--ah, we know about that and
care about it very much. You are wiser than we are, and if you say you
must go we can only look at you very sad and bow the head. I wish I had
some languag