“I’ll do one farewell article for you. I’ll do it to-night. But that ends it.”

“How about the poems?”

“You’re very kind,” said Annan laughing. “It’s just the yoke, Mike. It hasn’t galled, but let me drop it for a while.... That stuff I did for you—well, it’s out of my system. I don’t care, now, whether it’s good or bad; I shan’t do any more anyway——”

“Your public asks for it.”

“I’m through——”

“They want that!”

“Well, I won’t do any more. I don’t want to. I can’t. I don’t think that way any longer. Damn it, I’ve gone on——”

“They haven’t!”

“Let ’em stay put, then,” growled Annan.

“You mean you are going to abandon your public?”