"Oh, my God!" She sat, trying to rise to the pitch of such ambition, but succeeded only in remaining commonplace. "How did you come across it, John?" she asked after a little. He smiled. "What did I say about death and taxes and a woman's curiosity? The truth is, I picked it up from a word or so I heard in a chance conversation--two young fellows from the engineering department were talking something over. That young chap named Halsey, just out of some college, full of fads, you know. He'd been reading something his old professor had been monkeying over. I got my idea then--the idea of making any automobile go twice as fast as it does, any railway train, anything else--of cutting out a lot of useless human labor, and setting the power of gravitation to work." "I thought you said this was your own idea?" "It _is_ my own. What is thrown away deliberately, and picked up, is mine, if I see the value in it. Young Halsey didn't know. He's just a visionary--nothing practical about him. He couldn't see into this." "Halsey--Charley Halsey of the offices? He's been here--I think Grace--you see, the Personal Injury office, where she works, is just across the hall from the Engineering--" "Well, it's no difference. I'm going to take care of the affair myself. But it might be just as well if he came, once in a while. Grace might do worse." "But you heard him speak of it first?" "I've just told you, yes, woman! But there was nothing worked out. I've got to furnish the time and money and brains and the plan of working it out. I've never said a word to him yet, of course, and I don't want you to say a word." Her face fell. "I'm afraid I can't understand all these things, John. But I should think you'd take Charley in as a partner. That is, if Grace-- Maybe he could help." "A partner? With me? Laura, John Rawn has no partners." VII She rose after a time, her eyes not seeking his. "Grace will be coming home directly," she said briskly. "I must get supper ready." "One thing"--he raised a restraining hand--"keep quiet about this. I've told you too much already." For half an instant Laura Rawn almost wondered whether this thing might not be true. Such things had happened in this country. Was there not daily proof before her eyes? And might not fortune reverse her wheel for them also; might not lightning choose, as sometimes elsewhere it had chosen, a humble and unimportant spot for its alighting? Who can read the plans of the immortal gods? asked the pagans of old. Who, asked Laura Rawn, devout Christian, can foresee the plans of a Divine Providence? As for John Rawn, he troubled but little over the immortal gods or over a Divine Providence, feeling small need of the aid of either. He had himself. CHAPTER VII THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEN I