" How little it said and how much it
meant!
The sight of Bill's wide eyes and quivering mouth reminded him that he
was not the only person involved in the tragedy of those five words. He
pulled himself together. Bill was waiting anxiously for an answer to
his question. There was no need to make Bill unhappy before his time.
"Of course you will," he said, trying to make his voice cheerful.
"Of course I will," echoed Bill dutifully.
Kirk could not trust himself to speak again. The old sensation of
choking had come back to him. The room was a blur.
He caught Bill to him in a grip that made the child cry out, held him
for a long minute, then put him gently down and made blindly for the
door.
The storm had burst by the time Kirk found himself in the street. The
thunder crashed and great spears of lightning flashed across the sky. A
few heavy drops heralded the approach of the rain, and before he had
reached the corner it was beating down in torrents.
He walked on, raising his face to the storm, finding in it a curious
relief. A magical coolness had crept into the air, and with it a
strange calm into his troubled mind. He looked back at the scene
through which he had passed as at something infinitely remote. He could
not realize distinctly what had happened. He was only aware that
everything was over, that with a few words he had broken his life into
small pieces.
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