What happens to a man when he--does a thing like that?"

"He gets jugged."

"Did he get jugged?"

"Well, that wasn't the part that interested me."

An odd picture presented itself to Nancy's mind of the men of the
world engaged in one grand melee of brawling; struggling, belaying one
another with their bare fists, drawing blood; brutes turned on
brutes.

"Men are queer things," she said.

Dick's face was turned away from her. It was not at the moment a face
she would have recognized. The eyes were contracted: the nostrils
quivering: the teeth set.

"I'm always at your service, Nancy," he said presently. "Is there
anything in the world you want that I can get for you?"

"The only thing I want is something you can't get?"

"And that is?"

"Sheila."

"No," Dick said. "I can't get Sheila for you. I'm sorry. I suppose
that's the whole answer to you," he went on musingly. "You want
something, somebody to mother--to minister to. It doesn't make so much
difference what else it is, so long as it's--downtrodden. That's why
I've never made more of a hit with you. I've never been downtrodden
enough. I didn't need feeding or nursing. I've always sort of
cherished the feeling that I liked to be the one creature you didn't
have to carry on your back. I thought that to stand behind _you_ was a
pretty good stunt, but you've never needed anything yet to fall back
on."

"I don't think I ever shall," Nancy said. "Not,--not in the way you
mean, Dick."

"So be it," he said, folding his arms. "But there's still one thing
you'll take from me, and that's the thing I've got that you
haven't--money. I never have cared much about it before, but now that
there are so many things I can't put right for you, I know you won't
be selfish enough to deny this one satisfaction. Let me make over to
you all the money you need to get you out of your difficulties with
the Inn. Let me hand out a good round sum for all these charities of
yours. If you knew how everything else in connection with you had
conspired to hurt me,--how this being discounted and losing out all
around has cut into me, you wouldn't deny me this one privilege. You
don't want _me_, you wouldn't take me, but for God's sake, Nancy, take
this one thing that I can give you."

They had just swung into the lower entrance of the Park, and the big
car was speeding silently into the deepening night, low hung with
silver stars, and jeweled with soft lights.

"You're awfully good