The other, moved, laid a hand on his knee. In moments of emotion the foreign blood showed in such slight demonstrativeness. But Anglo-Saxon Archie stiffened, and the hand was at once removed. "She's too fine for me, you see," he went on. "Too sort of delicate.--I read somewhere that china vases and brass vases couldn't float down a stream together without the china ones getting smashed (though why vases would be floating down a stream anyway, _I_ don't know!). But I'm brass, you see, and she's china. I thought it might be all right after the twinnies came. I still think it might have been, if they--" Again he swallowed hard. Nikolai nodded. "Their hearts are wild As be the hearts of birds, till childer come." But, my dear boy, you speak as if the twinnies had exhausted the available supply!" Archie's eyes dropped. Then he lifted them again in a frank gaze. "I almost lost her, sir. Do you think I'd put her through a thing like that again? God!--her little frantic hands clutching at us! And her voice, hoarse as a fierce animal's--!" He jumped up and crossed to a window, where he stood with his back to Nikolai, his face working. After a moment the other followed, and this time Archie did not stiffen under his touch. "So," said the Jew, "in your love you would deny her the woman's privilege of suffering?" "Yes! Suffering on account of me--yes! Every time. It ain't fair, women having to stand the whole business. If I could help, if I could bear one single pain of it--But I can't." "No," said Nikolai, his lips twitching despite the sadness about them. "No, I am afraid you can't. But--" "And it's not," interrupted Archie, reverting doggedly to his theme, "as if I were the right man, you see!" They were silent again. "You are so afraid of losing her that you will not give her children," mused Nikolai presently. "And yet if I understand you you are willing to lose her--otherwise?" "To the right man," said Archie directly. "To you--Because I think you are the right man. She's been more contented since you've been here than I ever knew her to be. Of course you're twice her age, but that don't count with brainy people. And you could give her everything I can't--not just _things_; you know what I mean! Travel, education, all that. She's in your class, sir, not mine.--Will you do it?" Nikolai looked rather bewildered. "Do what, Blair?" "Oh, I don't know. Be nice to her all you can, read poetry to her, get her to care for you. Make love to her, if you want!--You can bet I wouldn't say that to many men--" he laughed forlornly--"but you're different, somehow. I can trust you." "Thank you." Nikolai's face lit with a very charming smile. "Yes, I think you can trust me--And in case your scheme were successful, if I should prove to be 'the right man'--what about you?" "Oh, me? Why, I'd just naturally fade out of the landscape." "How do you mean?"