"That's just what I mean," remarked Thresk. "Do you mind a cigarette?"
"Not at all."
Thresk smoked and while he smoked he talked, not carelessly yet careful not to emphasize his case. "Youth is a graceful thing of high-sounding words and impetuous thoughts, but like many other graceful things it can be very hard and very cruel."
Dick Hazlewood looked closely and quickly at his companion. But he answered casually:
"It is supposed to be generous."
"And it is—to itself," replied Thresk. "Generous when its sympathies are enlisted, generous so long as all goes well with it: generous because it is confident of triumph. But its generosity is not a matter of judgment. It does not come from any wide outlook upon a world where there is a good deal to be said for everything. It is a matter of physical health."
"Yes?" said Dick.
"And once affronted, once hurt, youth finds it difficult to forgive."
So far both men had been debating on an abstract topic without any immediate application to themselves. But now Dick leaned across the table with a smile upon his face which Thresk did not understand.
"And why do you say this to me this morning, Mr. Thresk?" he asked pointedly.