'I lied to you this morning. I took your order for insurance. I forgot to place it.'
She stood for a moment in silence.
'What made you—'
John Scidmore shrugged. His vision was clearing. He felt quite calm.
'You suggested the idea yourself. You were so ready to take the blame. I suppose it was self-preservation. I began to strike blindly—as any desperate man would. I'm not what they call a success—I never have been. You know how it is, some people— Oh, well! Some of us don't get by, that's all.'
He turned away. Julia Norris touched him on the shoulder.
'John, can't you see that the ten thousand dollars doesn't matter to me? But you and Kitty—you and Kitty do matter.'
He began to crush his hat between his clasped hands.
She threw the scarf from her shoulders. 'Look here, John—'
He stopped her with an abrupt gesture. 'I've won this victory for Kitty's sake,' he said. 'This is the first time in my life I've lived up to her hope of me. If you were a failure you'd realize how much that means.'