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"Oh, I don't know," he temporized, taken aback. "I don't go in

for loneliness much; but when I do, why all I want is--well, let

me see, a good game of quoits with the boys in front of the

church, or a talk with my mother about how rich we are going to

be some day when I get that partnership in the fishstand. I'm too

busy to be lonely."

"And I'm too lonely to be busy!" He looked at her unbelievingly.

"You!" he cried. "Why, you have everything in the world; you can

go anywhere, do anything, have the people about you that you

want. You, lonely? I don't understand you."

"Well, I'll put it another way. Did you ever want something so

hard that it hurt, and couldn't get it?"

"Yes, I wanted my father back after he died," said Code simply.