"You see! You're bound to make a fortune if you stick to
it."
Kirk put his arm round her and gave her a silent hug of gratitude. He
had dreaded this talk, and lo! it was putting new life into him.
They sat for a few moments in silence.
"I don't deserve it," said Kirk at last. "Instead of comforting me like
this, and making me think I'm rather a fine sort of a fellow, you ought
to be lashing me with scorpions. I don't suppose any man has ever made
such a criminal idiot of himself in this city before."
"You couldn't tell that this stock was going to fail."
"No; but I could have done some work these last three years and made
it not matter whether it failed or not. You can't comfort me out of
that knowledge. I knew all along that I was being a waster and a loafer,
but I was so happy that I didn't mind. I was so interested in seeing
what you and the kid would do next that I didn't seem to have time to
work. And the result is that I've gone right back.
"There was a time when I really could paint a bit. Not much, it's true,
but enough to get along with. Well, I'm going to start it again in
earnest now, and if I don't make good, well, there's always Hank's
offer."
Ruth turned a little pale. They had discussed Hank's offer before, but
then life had been bright and cloudless and Hank's offer a thing to
smile at.
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