I know all about the investment; I haven't worked there all these years
and not know how the business stands. It is a chance to make a fortune.
I ain't likely to ever have another like it; and it won't wait for me
to make up my mind forever, either. Isn't it hard on me, too?"

"Lord knows it is, ma'am," said Nelson, despondently; "it is
hard on us all! Sometimes I don't see the end of it all.
A vast social revolution ----"

"Social fiddlesticks! I beg your pardon, Mr. Forrest, but it puts me
out of patience to have people expecting to be allowed to make every
mortal kind of fools of themselves and then have 'a social revolution'
jump in to slue off the consequences. Let us understand each other.
Who do you suppose I am?"

"Miss--Miss Almer, ain't it?"

"It's Alma Brown, Mr. Forrest. I saw you coming on the boat
and I made Mr. Martin fetch me over to you. I told him not
to say my name, because I wanted a good plain talk with you.
Well, I've had it. Things are just about where I thought
they were, and I told Mr. Lossing so. But I couldn't be sure.
You must have thought me a funny kind of woman to be telling
you all those things about myself."

Nelson, who had changed color half a dozen times in the darkness,
sighed before he said: "No, ma'am; I only thought how good you
were to tell me. I hoped maybe you were impressed to trust me
as I was to trust you."