The girl hesitated a moment.  It seemed to Ronicky, in spite of the fact that she had just driven Bill Gregg away, as if she were on the verge of following him to bring him back.  For she made a slight outward gesture with one hand.

If this were in her mind, however, it vanished instantly.  She turned with a shudder and hurried away down the street.

As for Bill Gregg he bore himself straight as a soldier and came back across the pavement, but it was the erectness of a soldier who has met with a crushing defeat and only preserves an outward resolution, while all the spirit within is crushed.

Ronicky Doone turned gloomily away from the window and listened to the progress of Gregg up the stairs.  What a contrast between the ascent and the descent!  He had literally flown down.  Now his heels clumped out a slow and regular death march, as he came back to the room.

When Gregg opened the door Ronicky Doone blinked and drew in a deep breath at the sight of the poor fellow’s face.  Gregg had known before that he truly loved this girl whom he had never seen, but he had never dreamed what the strength of that love was.  Now, in the very moment of seeing his dream of the girl turned into flesh and blood, he had lost her, and there was something like death in the face of the big miner as he dropped his hat on the floor and sank into a chair.

After that he did not move so much as a finger from the position into which he had fallen limply.  His legs were twisted awkwardly, sprawling across the floor in front of him; one long arm dragged down toward the floor, as if there was no strength in it to support the weight of the labor-hardened hands; his chin was fallen against his breast.

When Ronicky Doone crossed to him and laid a kind hand on his shoulder he did not look up.  “It’s ended,” said Bill Gregg faintly.  “Now we hit the back trail and forget all about this.”  He added with a faint attempt at cynicism:  “I’ve just wasted a pile of good money-making time from the mine, that’s all.”

“H’m!” said Ronicky Doone.  “Bill, look me in the eye and tell me, man to man, that you’re a liar!” He added:  “Can you ever be happy without her, man?”

The cruelty of that speech made Gregg flush and look up sharply.  This was exactly what Ronicky Doone wanted.

“I guess they ain’t any use talking about that part of it,” said Gregg huskily.

“Ain’t there?  That’s where you and me don’t agree!  Why, Bill, look at the way things have gone!  You start out with a photograph of a girl.  Now you’ve followed her, found her name, tracked her clear across the continent and know her street address, and you’ve given her a chance to see your own face.  Ain’t that something done?  After you’ve done all that are you going to give up now?  Not you, Bill!  You’re going to buck up and go ahead full steam.  Eh?”

Bill Gregg smiled sourly.  “D’you know what she said when I come rushing up and saying:  ‘I’m Bill Gregg!’ D’you know what she said?”