Another day when again visiting her at the hospital, he told her how they mixed the stuff, how they made the wooden moulds, and about the crowds that gathered around them, for the process was a new one.
"People don't believe in it, don't think it will stand," he said, watching her closely.
On her face came the interested look that he so desired, and she asked:—
"Will it, Laurie?"
"Like a rock," he assured her.
But Challoner was ignorant of the danger then, for he had not reckoned with the human element in the character of construction. All he knew was that he worked from morning until night at the cheapest of all cheap, unskilled labour.
After a little while Miriam put out a thin hand and let it rest in his, saying:—
"How much do they give you, dear?"
Not without a suggestion of pride in his voice, the man answered:—
"A dollar and a half a day."