He fell asleep watching her, and when he awoke she was still
sitting there, though it was beginning to grow dark. He spoke
before she knew he was awake.

"I'm going to get well, the doctor thinks."

"Yes, he told me," she answered.

"Did he tell y'u it was your nursing saved me?"

"Please don't think about that."

"What am I to think about? I owe y'u a heap, and it keeps piling
up. I reckon y'u do it all because it's your Christian duty?" he
demanded.

"It is my duty, isn't it?"

"I didn't say it wasn't, though I expaict Bighorn County will
forget to give y'u a unanimous vote of thanks for doing it. I
asked if y'u did it because it was your duty?"

"The reason doesn't matter so that I do it," she answered,
steadily.

"Reasons matter some, too, though they ain't as important as
actions out in this country. Back in Boston they figure more, and
since y'u used to go to school back there y'u hadn't ought to
throw down your professor of ethics."