an ass, to help, the more I seemed to mess things up, till the crash came, and we all went to bits together.  And we had to give up the only work we liked—­and I did love mine so—­and slave at things we hated.  And still we kept sinking and sinking, and crashing on worse and worse rocks, till we hadn’t a sound piece left to float us.  And then, when I thought at least we could go down together, they went away and left me behind.  So I’d failed there too, hopelessly.  I always have failed in everything I’ve tried.  I tried to make Rhoda happy, but that failed too.  She left me; and now she’s dead, and Thomas hasn’t any mother at all....  And Lucy ... whom I’d cared for since before I could remember ... and I’d always thought, without thinking about it, that some day of course we should be together...  Lucy left me, and our caring became wrong, so that at last we didn’t care to see one another at all.  And then it was as if hell had opened and let us in.  The other things hadn’t counted like that; health, money, beautiful things, interesting work, honour, friends, marriage, even Denis—­they’d all collapsed and I did mind, horribly.  But not like that.  As long as I could see Lucy sometimes, I could go on—­and I had Thomas too, though I don’t know why he hasn’t collapsed yet.  But at last, quite suddenly, when the emptiness and the losing had been getting to seem worse and worse for a long time, they became so bad that they were impossible.  I got angry; it was for Thomas more than for myself, I think; and I said it should end.  I said I would take things; steal them, if I couldn’t get them by fair means.  And I went down to Astleys, to see them, to tell them it must end.  And in the woods I met Lucy.  And she’d been getting to know too that it must end, for her sake as well as for mine....  And so we’re going to end it, and begin again.  We’re going to be happy, because life is too jolly to miss.”

Peter ended defiantly, and flung his razor in among the socks.

Rodney had listened quietly, his eyes on Peter’s profile.  When he stayed silent, Peter supposed that he had at last convinced him of the unbreakable strength of his purpose for iniquity, and that he would give him up and go away.  After a minute he turned and looked up at Rodney, and said, “Now do you see that it’s no good?”

Rodney took out his pipe and knocked it out and put it away before he answered: 

“I’m glad you’ve said all that, Peter.  Not that I didn’t know it all before; of course I did.  When I said at first that I didn’t understand you, I was lying.  I did understand, perfectly well.  But I’m glad you’ve said it, because it’s well to know that you realise it so clearly yourself.  It saves my explaining it to you.  It gives us a common knowledge to start on.  And now may I talk for a little, please?  No, not for a little; for some time.”

“Go on,” said Peter.  “But it’s no use, you know....  What do you mean by our common knowledge?  The knowledge that I’m a failure?”