“You give me a tremendous amount of happiness.”
“If I do, I’m glad. I don’t believe you ever had much of it. Do you know what is said? That you never smile. But I can swear that isn’t true, and I’m beginning to wonder if you really are––Heavens, what was I about to say!”
“Go ahead. It’s nothing terrible, I wager.”
“Well, I won’t finish that, but I’ll ask a question even more impertinent, if I may. Frankly, I’m dying of curiosity to know.”
Weir turned his head to listen to the approach of a horseman. He could see the man galloping towards 96 them for town, having turned into the road from a lane a short distance off, his horse’s hoofs striking an occasional spark from a stone. Then the engineer looked smilingly at Janet Hosmer.
“I’ll tell you anything––or almost anything.” One subject alone was sealed.
“It’s that name.”
“Name?”
“‘Cold Steel.’ How did you get it?”
“It was just pinned on me a few years ago. I’m not particularly proud of it. I don’t even know the rogue who gave me the label. And it means nothing.”