Part 42 (1/2)

”Pardon me,” says Miss Hampton, ”but just who is Vee?”

”Eh?” says I, pinkin' up. ”Why, in my case, she's the only girl.”

”Ah-ha!” says she. ”So you--er----”

”Uh-huh!” says I. ”I've come near bein' ditched myself. And Mr. Robert he's helped out more'n once. So this looked like my cue to hand back something. We thought maybe the roses would kind of patch things up.

Say, how about it, Miss Hampton? Suppose he hadn't b.o.o.bed it this way, wouldn't there be a show of----”

”You absurd youth!” says she, liftin' both hands protestin', but failin'

to smother that smile.

And say, when it's aimed straight at you so you get the full benefit, that's some winnin' smile of hers--sort of genuine and folksy, you know!

It got me. Why, I felt like I'd been put on her list of old friends. And I grins back.

”It wa'n't a case of another party, was it?” says I.

She laughs and shakes her head.

”Or an old watch-dog aunt, eh?” I goes on.

”Whatever made you think of that?” says she.

”You ought to see the one that stands guard over Vee,” says I. ”But how was it, anyway, that Mr. Robert got himself in wrong with you?”

”How?” says Miss Hampton, restin' her perky chin on one knuckle and studyin' the rug pattern. ”Why, I think it must have been--well, perhaps it was my fault, after all. You see, when I left for Italy we were very good friends. And over there it was all so new to me,--Italian life, our villa hung on a mountainside overlooking that wonderful blue sea, the people I met, everything,--I wrote to him, oh, pages and pages, about all I did or saw. He must have been horribly bored reading them. I didn't realize until--but there! We'll not go into that. I stopped, that's all.”

”Huh!” says I.

”So it's all over,” says she. ”Only, when I thought he had sent the roses, of course I was pleased. But now that he has taken such pains to prove that he didn't----”

She ends with a shoulder shrug.

”Say, Miss Hampton,” I breaks in, ”you leave it to me.”

”But there isn't anything to leave,” says she, ”not a shred! Sometime, though, I hope I may meet your Miss Vee. May I?”

”I should guess!” says I. ”Why, she thinks you're a star! We both do.”

”Thank you, Torchy,” says she. ”I'm glad someone approves of me.

Good-by.” And we shakes hands friendly at the door.

It was long after five by that time; but I made a break back to the office. Had to get the floor janitor to let me in. I was glad, though, to have the place to myself.

What I was after was a peek at some back letter files. Course I wa'n't sure he could be such a chump; but, knowin' somethin' about his habits along the correspondence line, I meant to settle the point. And, fis.h.i.+n'

out Mr. Robert's personal book, I begun the hunt. I had the right dope, too.

”The lobster!” says I.