“I was rotten—I know. But don’t worry—”
“I won’t. I depend upon you, my boy, that’s all. And so does to-night’s success. Let me run you home.”
“Thanks—no. I’d rather walk it. Want to be alone—you understand—pardon!”
And he had stumbled out of the stage door into the new gray day.
Now as he paced up and down, he wondered whether [224] ]it would be humanly possible to keep faith with the man who was giving him the opportunity to blazon his name to the world. Could he go through with it? Could he be depended upon?
The nurse appeared in the doorway and beckoned to him. From the pillow a pair of eyes, so large and dark that there seemed no other feature in the small face, fastened on the door as he entered. He dropped on his knees, laid his head beside hers. One hand strayed up and stroked his thick brown hair.
“How did it go, darling?”
He answered with another question of greater moment.
“Are you feeling better?”
“Much. They gave me something to make me sleep. I must have slept a long time. Is it morning?”