n
spoke with a swelling heart, and looked out of the window to hide the
emotion that would make itself visible upon his face.

'It is absurd,' said Knight in a kinder tone, 'for you to look at the
matter in that light. What I tell you is for your good. You naturally do
not like to realize the truth--that her liking for you was only a girl's
first fancy, which has no root ever.'

'It is not true!' said Stephen passionately. 'It was you put me out. And
now you'll be pushing in again between us, and depriving me of my chance
again! My right, that's what it is! How ungenerous of you to come
anew and try to take her away from me! When you had won her, I did not
interfere; and you might, I think, Mr. Knight, do by me as I did by
you!'

'Don't "Mr." me; you are as well in the world as I am now.'

'First love is deepest; and that was mine.'

'Who told you that?' said Knight superciliously.

'I had her first love. And it was through me that you and she parted. I
can guess that well enough.'

'It was. And if I were to explain to you in what way that operated in
parting us, I should convince you that you do quite wrong in intruding
upon her--that, as I said at first, your labour will be lost. I don't
choose to explain, because the particulars are painful. But if you won't
listen to me, go on, for Heaven's sake. I don't care what you do, my
boy.'

'You have no right to domineer over me as you do. Just because, when
I was a lad, I was accustomed to look up to you as a master, and you
helped me a little, for which I was grateful to you and have loved
you, you assume too much now, and step in before me. It is cruel--it is
unjust--of you to injure me so!'

Knight showed himself keenly hurt at this. 'Stephen, those words are
untrue and unworthy of any man, and they are unworthy of you. You know
you wrong me. If you have ever profited by any instruction of mine, I am
only too glad to know it. You know it was given ungrudgingly, and that I
have never once looked upon it as making you in any way a debtor to me.'

Stephen's naturally gentle nature was touched, and it was in a troubled
voice that he said, 'Yes, yes. I am unjust in that--I own it.'

'This is St. Launce's Station, I think. Are you going to get out?'

Knight's manner of returning to the matter in hand drew Stephen again
into himself. 'No; I told you I was going to Endelstow,' he resolutely
replied.

Knight's features became impassive, and he said no more. The tr