"Why did you do it, Roddy?" she asked. "I mean, why did you want to come
and tell me?"
"Why, in the first place," he said, "I wanted to get back a little of my
self-respect. I couldn't get that until I'd told you."
This time the silence was longer.
"What else did you want?" she asked. "What--in the second place?"
"I don't know why I put it like that," he said. "Please don't think ...
I can't bear to have you think that I came down here to--ask anything of
you--anything in the way of a reward for having seen what is so plain to
every one. I haven't any--claim at all. I want to earn your friendship.
It's the biggest thing I've got to hope for. But I've no idea that you
can hand it out to me ready-made. I believe you'd do it if you could.
But you said once, yourself, that it wasn't a thing that could be given.
It was a thing that had to be earned. And you were right about that, as
you were about so many other things. Well, I'm going to try to earn it."
"Is that--all you want?" she asked, and then hearing the little gasp he
gave, she swung round quickly and looked at him.
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