THE STEADFAST HEART
want you here. I—I’m sending you away because—because—Hell’s Bells!—because I’ve got to.”
Angus’s eyes continued to devour Dave’s face, as though they sought to pierce to the innermost recesses of his heart. Dave met gaze with honest gaze. “It’s true, Angus,” he said.
Then Angus smiled. He believed. His friend, his hero, his god did not want to cast him off, but for some mysterious reason must send him away. It gave his friend pain to part with him…. He lifted an ink-stained hand and touched Wilkins’s arm timidly. It was a returned caress—a queer, suppressed, clumsy effort to comfort…. Dave coughed savagely.
“He sha’n’t go unless he wants to,” he said.
Browning was suddenly inspired. “Angus, you said the other day that you were going to stand up for yourself. Do you really want to stand up for yourself?”
“I got to.”
“Then you must go, Angus. That will be standing up for yourself—doing the biggest thing you can do to stand up for yourself.”
Angus looked to Dave for confirmation.
“Yes,” said Dave, “Yes….”
The boy made no comment, because he could think of nothing to say.
“You think it over, Angus…. It’s for you
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