"No, I asked for it."
"Oh, I see. Well, he will do much better by you than that."
"I don't want anything better to start with."
"But, my dear boy, a collector is merely a conductor. He takes tickets."
"Sure! I can DO that. I might fail at something hard."
"No, no, no! I'll see that you don't fail. Don't you understand?"
"I understand a lot more than I did, Mrs. Cortlandt. That's why I don't want to rob some chap of a job he's entitled to, and I sha'n't. There's a collector quitting shortly."
She stared at him curiously for a moment before inquiring:
"Is that really the reason, or do you think the work will be easier?"
Kirk stirred uncomfortably. "Oh, I'm not trying to dodge anything," he maintained. "On the contrary, the most amazing thing has happened—something I can't quite understand. I—I really want to work. Funny, isn't it? I didn't know people ever got that way, but—I'd like to help build this Canal."