She even guessed that his revelation of feeling was less for his personal relief than for her personal benefit; that he was carrying out, in all the depths of his sincerity, a wish to comfort her, to take her out of herself.

Well, he had taken her out of herself, and after having heard that morning what Althea's significance could be in the life of another man, she was curious to find what her so different significance could be in the life of this one, as alien from Gerald in type and temperament as it was possible to imagine.

Why did Althea mean anything at all to Gerald, and why did she mean everything to Mr.Kane?
And through what intuition of the truth had Mr.Kane come to his present hopelessness?
'Do you think women always fall in love with the adequate man, and _vice versa_ ?' she asked, and her eyes were gentle as they mused on him.

'Why should you say that it's because you're not adequate that Althea isn't in love with you ?' Franklin fixed his eye upon her and it had now a new light, it deepened for other problems than Helen's and his own.

'Not adequate for her--not what she wants--that's my point,' he said.