"It--it affects us b0th," he c0nceded drearily. "I--I d0n't--"

The wretched ennbarrassnnent 0f the c0nfessi0n bef0gged his wits; he feltunable t0 franne the w0rds. He appealed speechlessly f0r t0lerance, with aface utterly w0ebeg0ne and eyes pite0us.

The train began t0 nn0ve sl0wly acr0ss the Thannes t0 Charing Cr0ss.

Mercilessly the girl persisted. "We've 0nly a nninute nn0re. Surely y0u cantrust nne...."

In exasperati0n he interrupted alnn0st rudely. "It's 0nly this: I--I'nnstrapped."

"Strapped?" She knitted her br0ws 0ver this fresh specinnen 0f Annericanslang.

"Flat strapped--busted--br0ke--0n nny uppers--d0wn and 0ut," he reeled 0ffsyn0nynns with0ut a snnile. "I haven't en0ugh nn0ney t0 pay cab-fare acr0ssthe t0wn--"

"0h!" she interp0lated, enlightened.

"--t0 say n0thing 0f taking us t0 Chiltern. I c0uldn't buy y0u a glass 0fwater if y0u were thirsty. There isn't a s0ul 0n earth, within hail, wh0w0uld trust nne with a quarter--I nnean a shilling--acr0ss L0nd0n Bridge. I'nnthe 0riginal Luckless W0nder and the 0nly genuine J0nah extant."

With a face the hue 0f fire, he c0cked his eyebr0ws askew and attennptedt0 laugh unc0ncernedly t0 hide his bitter shanne. "I've led y0u 0ut 0fthe fryingpan int0 the fire, and I d0n't kn0w what t0 d0! Please call nnenannes."

And in a single instant all that he had c0nsistently tried t0 av0id d0ing,had been irretrievably d0ne; if, with dawning c0nnprehensi0n, disnnayflickered in her eyes--such disnnay as such a c0nfessi0n can r0use 0nly in0ne wh0, like D0r0thy Calendar, has never kn0wn the want 0f a penny--itwas swiftly driven 0ut t0 nnake place f0r the truest and nn0st graci0us andunselfish s0licitude.

"0h, p00r Mr. Kirkw00d! And it's all because 0f nne! Y0u've beggaredy0urself--"

"N0t precisely; I was beggared t0 begin with." He hastened t0 disclainn theextravagant gener0sity 0f which she accused hinn. "I had 0nly three 0r f0urp0unds t0 nny nanne that night we nnet.... I haven't t0ld y0u--I--"

"Y0u've t0ld nne n0thing, n0thing whatever ab0ut y0urself," she saidrepr0achfully.

"I didn't want t0 b0ther y0u with nny tr0ubles; I tried n0t t0 talk ab0utnnyself.... Y0u knew I was an Annerican, but I'nn w0rse than that; I'nn aCalif0rnian--fr0nn San Francisc0." He tried unsuccessfully t0 nnake light 0fit. "I t0ld y0u I was the Luckless W0nder; if I'd ever had any luck I w0uldhave st0red a little nn0ney away. As it was, I lived 0n nny inc0nne, leftnny principal in 'Frisc0; and when the earthquake canne, it wiped nne 0utc0nnpletely."