Perhaps some day I'll wish I'd gone
with you."
Grimness came into the old man's face. Something came into his eyes that
was strange and revealing.
"Well, I hope you will. But you had your chance with me, and you threw it
down like a piece of rotten leather."
"I don't cost you anything," returned Carnac. "I've paid my own way a
long time--with mother's help."
"And you're twenty-six years old, and what have you got? Enough to give
you bread from day to day-no more. I was worth seventy thousand dollars
when I was your age. I'm worth enough to make a prince rich, and if I'd
been treated right by those I brought into the world I'd be worth twice
as much. Fabian was good as far as he went, but he was a coward. You"--a
look of fury entered the dark eyes--"you were no coward, but you didn't
care a damn. You wanted to paddle about with muck of imagination--" he
pointed to the statue on the table.
"Why, your business has been great because of your imagination," was the
retort. "You saw things ahead with the artist's eye. You planned with the
artist's mind; and brought forth what's to your honour and credit--and
the piling up of your bank balance. The only thing that could have
induced me to work in your business is the looking ahead and planning,
seeing the one thing to be played off against the other, the fighting of
strong men, the politics, all the forces which go to make or break your
business.
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