e man I found--not Amy's
husband--mine, all mine!

"And I had almost got you back--when Fanny Carr, with her nasty view of
me and what I was doing, brought you those perfectly rotten reports?
And if you believe them, Joe, I'm through! Go to Nourse or to Sally
Crothers, and they'll tell you I have spoken the truth. If you won't
believe either them or me, go on alone without me--or else marry Fanny
Carr. But if you do believe me and we're to go on together now, you'll
have to drop Fanny for good and all, and leave Amy way behind. You'll
have to take up your old friends and try to get Crothers into your firm.
You may think your business is yours and not mine--but if it's my life,
it's my business, too! It's like four walls around me now, and I want
to break out and so do you--away from mere money! I've watched you,
dear--seen what a struggle has gone on inside of you--it has worn you
out! haven't you made money enough? Let's leave it, go to Paris, and
get to work before it's too late for you to get back what you had! And
if there's no money, never mind. It will come later on--but don't let's
be afraid if it doesn't. Don't let's be afraid of pain--of fighting
hard and suffering, Joe! I want more children! I want you! I want you
mine, all mine, my dear--not her husband. Don't you see?"

She had been eagerly leaning toward him. Joe was staring into the fire;
the look in his eyes had frightened her and made her hurry to be
through.

"What is it?" she asked. And she waited a moment. "Don't you believe
what I've told you, Joe?"

"Yes," he said, "I believe all that. I believe a good deal more than
that." There was a little silence, and then suddenly he reached for her
hand, held it tight and smiled into the fire in a twitching sort of way.
"I haven't been quite as blind as you think. I've seen a good deal of
what you were doing. But--" he frowned--"I'm older than you are. I
know this job of mine clear through--way back to those dreams you spoke
of. I've had some hard mean tussles about it--lately--and that's my
only excuse for acting like a damn fool as I did--the other day. No use
in talking of that any more--or of--Amy either. She's--dead."

"Joe!" Ethel whispered. Tears came in her eyes. He went steadily on:

"She had some fine points--you'll never know. There were things we
needn't talk about now. But you've made me see things, too. I don't
think she'll be in the way any more--I think we'll be able to speak of
her."