MINNIE. But if he's so poor, how's he going to live? He can't afford to hire me to help him. AUGUSTA. I don't know. Dr. Pindar was about to leave in search of you. MINNIE. I was afraid of that--when he ought to be going to New York to test the discovery at the hospitals there. He meant to. AUGUSTA. You must see him. MINNIE. Oh, I'll see him now. That was what hurt me most, lying to him about why I was leaving--letting him think I was sick of working with him. AUGUSTA. Minnie, I'm willing to say that I was mistaken about you. You may have been unwise, but you never did anything wrong. Isn't it so? MINNIE. Why do you think that now? What changed you? Just because I might have helped to keep Mr. Pindar from being shot by a crazy man--that didn't change you, did it? AUGUSTA. I was mistaken! MINNIE. If you thought I was bad yesterday, I'm bad today. AUGUSTA. A bad woman couldn't have done what you did just now. MINNIE. Don't you believe it, Mrs. Pindar. I knew a woman in Newcastle--but there's no use going into that, I guess. There's worse kinds of badness than what you call bad. AUGUSTA. I--I can't discuss it. But I want to be just. I'm convinced that I did you a wrong--and I'm sorry. Won't you believe me? MINNIE. But you'll never forgive me--even if I hadn't done what you thought--on account of what happened with George. AUGUSTA. I--I'll try. MINNIE. No, don't try--forgiveness doesn't come that way, Mrs. Pindar. (With sudden acuteness.) It was on account of George, not Dr. Jonathan, that you wanted to get me out of Foxon Falls. AUGUSTA. I repeat--I shouldn't have asked you to go. Isn't that enough? MINNIE. I told you not to worry about me and George. I ran away from him once--I guess I won't have to do it again. AUGUSTA. You--you ran away from him? MINNIE. From the church, too, and from the Bible class and from you, and from the shops. But I'm free now, there isn't any danger of my going wrong,--I know what I can do, I've learned my job--Dr. Jonathan's taught me. You needn't have me on your conscience, either. I'll go across and see if I can help Dr. Jonathan take care of that poor wreck, Prag. Life's been too tough for him-- AUGUSTA (starting forward to detain her). Wait a moment, Minnie,--tell me how you happened to come back, to be here so--providentially.