'Noakes, was it wise to come? I am glad you are here, but won't it hurt you, retard your recovery?' Becky asked anxiously.
'I had to come.'
'Mr. Max told me—both he and the doctor telephoned me early this morning—that in spite of all they said to you, you insisted on coming.'
'I am fit, sound except for my eyes; that's the shame of it,' he said bitterly. 'They couldn't persuade me that I should rest now, rest to recover from a shock that will last a lifetime.'
'I thought—I was afraid you might add fresh danger by coming out so soon.'
'I tell you I had to come!' he said with level forcefulness. 'As for my eyes, the harm is done.'
'Is it irremediable?'
'I am blind.'
'But soon—some day, surely—'
'No. The doctor gives me banalities for answers. I suppose he thinks I would go to pieces if he told me the truth.'