"Thank God I came, then."
"Yes. Thank God you came," he echoed fervently. "Though I was afraid you didn't quite realise . . ."
"Dear, I did. More than you imagine. But I wanted . . to help you in spite of yourself; and I hoped we could fight it out together."
He shook his head.
"Don't think me brutal, Quita, but a man's got to fight out this sort of thing alone with his own soul . . and God. You can only help just by . . loving me, and believing that I shall pull through. Dear old Desmond has done about as much for me as one human being seems permitted to do for another in big contingencies; and, by the way, he said rather a charming thing to-night."
"He has a gift for that. What was it?"
"He said I won the great talisman that put failure out the question."
She laughed again, softly.
"Oh, how I love that man, and his incurable idealism!"
"You do? You lawless young woman! How many more?"