A few more minutes drifted away. Then there fell a step behind him; a
hand touched his arm.

"Can I speak to you?" Archie asked.

Slowly West turned.

"If you have anything of importance to say," he said.

Archie faced him with a desperate resolution.

"I want to ask you--I want to know--what in thunder you did it for!"

"Eh?" said West. "Did what?"

He almost drawled the words, as if to give the boy time to control his
agitation.

Archie stared at him incredulously.

"You must know what I mean."

"Haven't an idea."

There was just a tinge of contempt this time in the words. What an
unconscionable bungler the fellow was!

"But you must!" persisted Archie, blundering wildly. "I suppose you knew
what you were doing just now when--when----"