All at once Grier felt himself as far removed from Tarboe as he had ever
been from Carnac, or his wife. Why was it? Suddenly Tarboe understood
that between him and John Grier there must always be a flood. He
realized that there was in Grier some touch of the insane thing;
something apart, remote and terrible. He was convinced of it, when he
saw Grier suddenly spring up, and pace the room again like a tortured
animal.

"You've got great influence with me," he said. "I was just going to tell
you something that'd give you pleasure, but what you've said about my boy
coming back has made me change what I was going to do. I don't need to
say I like you. We were born in the same nest almost. We've got the
same ideas."

"Almost," intervened Tarboe. "Not quite, but almost."

"Well, this is what I've got to say. You've got youth, courage, and good
sense, and business ability, and what more does a man want in life, I ask
you that?" Tarboe nodded, but made no reply.

"Well, I don't feel as strong as I used to do. I've been breaking up
this last year, just when we've been knitting the cracks in the building.
What was in my mind is this--to leave you when I die the whole of my
business to keep it a success, and get in the way of Belloc, and pay my
wife so much a year to live on."

"That wouldn't be fair to your wife or your sons."

"As for Carnac, if I left him the business it'd be dead in two years.
Nothing could save it. He'd spoil it, because he don't care for it. I