as if a great door had swung for ever closed between them, as if there was something secret, buried, and essential in the soul of each which now could never be revealed. And, to his surprise, he heard himself saying:
“Thanks, Joel—it’s mighty fine of you—about as fine as anything I ever heard—but I don’t need help now. If I need it later—”
“If you do,” said Joel very quickly, “I wish you’d let me know—I’d like it if you would…. And gosh! it’s great to know that you are going,” he whispered again with radiant enthusiasm. “I envy you!”
“Then I wish to God you’d come along!… Joel,” the other burst out excitedly, with a sudden surge of eager warm conviction. “Why can’t you? We’d have a great time of it—go everywhere—see everything! It would be a wonderful thing—a great experience—for you and me both. You’ve never seen Europe that way before, have you?—the way that you and I could see it?—you’ve always been with your family, your mother, haven’t you?—Come on!” he cried, seizing his friend by the arm, as if they were ready to go that instant. “Let’s go! We’ll have the grandest trip you ever heard about!”
But Joel, laughing his radiant soundless laugh, and shaking his head with gentle but inflexible denial, said:
“No, Eugene!… Not for me!… I can’t do it! I’m going to stay right here and keep on with the work I’m doing… Besides,” he added gravely, “Mums needs me. No one knows what’s going to happen here in the family,” he said quietly—“I mean—that thing tonight—you saw—about Mums and Pups”—he said with painful difficulty. The other nodded, and Joel concluded simply: “I’ve got to stay.” For a moment he was silent, and suddenly the other youth noticed something starved and lonely, and almost desperately forsaken and resigned, that he had never observed in the boy’s gaunt face and eyes before, and when Joel spoke again, although there was a faint smile on his face, there was something old and sad and weary in his voice that the other youth had never heard before. He said quietly:
“Perhaps you’re right…. Perhaps you and I do belong in different worlds… must go different ways…. If that is true,” Joel turned and looked directly at his friend and in his eyes there was an infinite quiet depth of regret and acceptance “—if that is true, I’m sorry…. At any rate, it was good to have known you…. And now, good-bye, Eugene—Good night, I mean,” he hastily concluded, in his former whispered, quick and casual tones, “I’ll see you in the morning.”
