live on--his only personal recognition of her.

[Illustration: "SHE CREPT OUT UPON THE LANDING OF THE STAIRS, AND SAT
THERE DESOLATELY ON THE TOP STEP"]

On the other hand, he poured out his affairs and his plans to her with a
freedom of confidence unknown before, a confidence which seemed to
pre-suppose her oneness of interest with him. He had talked exhaustively
about everything but those few days' absence; that was a sore that she
must not touch, a wound that could bear no probing. She had striven very
hard not to show when she didn't understand, taking her cues for assent
or dissent as he evidently wished her to, letting him think aloud, since
it seemed to be a relief to him, and saying little herself. The only
time when she broke in on her own account was when he told her about
Cater, and the defective bars, and Leverich's ultimatum. Her "Justin,
you wouldn't do that; you wouldn't tell!" met his quick response: "No, I
couldn't."

"Oh, I know that. I'd rather be a hundred times poorer than we are!
Aren't you glad that you couldn't do it?"

"No; I think I'm rather sorry," said Justin, with a half-smile. The
peculiar sharpness of the thought that it was between Cater and
Leverich--his friends, Heaven save the mark!--that he was being pushed
toward ruin, had not lost any of its edge.

There had been a tonic in a certain attitude of Cater's mind toward
Justin--an unspoken kindliness and admiration and tenderness such as an
older man who has been along a hard road may feel toward another who has
come along the same way. Cater's kind, unobtrusive comradeship, the
fair-dealing friendliness of his rivalry, had seemed to be one of the
factors of support, of honesty, of commercial righteousness. Justin
could smile proudly at Leverich, but he couldn't smile when he thought
of Cater--it weighed upon and humiliated him for the man who had been
his friend.

"I am glad, anyway!" said Lois. "It wouldn't have been _you_ if you had!
Can't you take a rest now, dear, when you look so ill? No, no; I didn't
mean that--of course you can't!"

"A _rest_!" He rose and walked up and down the room. "Lois, do you know
that, in some way, I've got to get it before the 13th? Those days in
Chicago--at the worst time! It makes me wild to think of the time I've
lost. I'm looking out for a partner who will buy out Leverich and
Martin, and we've got a chance yet--I'll swear we have! But Lewiston's
note has got to be paid first; then I can take