"There is little to tell," he repeated. "I am what you see--the janitor of this house." As he spoke the word "janitor" it flashed upon him that there had been a time when, in his wild visions, he had thought of winning this woman to be his wife. He flushed. "Yes, I know. But you have other plans--other ambitions." "A week ago my ambition was to find work that would keep me alive," he returned, smiling. "I have just attained that ambition. I have hardly had time to dream new dreams." "But you will dream them again," she said confidently. "I had them when--when I came back, and I suppose they will return." "Yes. Go on!" He had thought, in his most hopeful moments, that some day she might regard him with a distant friendliness, but he had never expected such an interest as was shown in her eager, peremptory tone. "There were two dreams. One was this: I wondered, if I were honest, if I worked hard, if I were of service to those about me, could I, after several years, win back the respect of the world, or its semi-respect? You know the world is so thoughtless, so careless, so slow to forgive. And I wondered if perhaps, after several years, I could win back the respect of some of my old friends?" "I was sure that was one dream, one plan," she said, quietly. "For myself----" She gave him her hand. "Thank you!" he said, his voice low and threaded with a quaver. "And though the world is thoughtless, and slow to forgive, and though the struggle will be hard, I'm certain that you are going to succeed." Her rich voice was filled with quiet belief. "And the other dream?" "It's presumptuous in me to speak of the other dream, for to work for its fulfilment would require all the things I've lost and many things I never had--a fair name, influence, some money, a personality, ability of the right sort. Besides, the dream is vague, unshaped--only a dream. It is not new, and it is not even my own dream. Thousands have dreamt it, and many are striving to turn it into a fact, a condition. Yes, it would be presumptuous for me to speak of it." "But I'd like very much to hear about it--if you don't mind." "Even though it will sound absurd from me? Well, if you wish me to."