you can have it if you want . could n't have been just an earthquake , could it ? '' `` and i never should have- '' nicholas cut himself off , swallowed , and said , `` i have nothing to offer you but a life on the run , jo . `` there was a time when you thought differently . it was slow going and his strength was almost at its end , but the water was soon below his knee and luckily the bank here wasnt as slippery as the spot where hed fallen in . 