He had taken her so seriously that Miss Langham dropped her
lighter tone and spoke in one more kindly:

``I went out there to see your work at its best. I was only
interested in going because it was your work, and because it was
you who had done it all, and I expected that you would try to
explain it to me and help me to understand, but you didn't. You
treated me as though I had no interest in the matter at all, as
though I was not capable of understanding it. You did not
seem to care whether I was interested or not. In fact, you
forgot me altogether.''

Clay exhibited no evidence of a reproving conscience. ``I am
sorry you had a stupid time,'' he said, gravely.

``I did not mean that, and you know I didn't mean that,'' the
girl answered. ``I wanted to hear about it from you, because you
did it. I wasn't interested so much in what had been done, as I
was in the man who had accomplished it.''

Clay shrugged his shoulders impatiently, and looked across at
Miss Langham with a troubled smile.

``But that's just what I don't want,'' he said. ``Can't you see?
These mines and other mines like them are all I have in the
world. They are my only excuse for having lived in it so long.
I want to feel that I've done something outside of myself, and
when you say that you like me personally, it's as little
satisfaction to me as it must be to a woman to be congratulated