Part 31 (1/2)
She had recognized the man, and was fearful lest he know her.
For he was the fellow with whom Russ had been in dispute in the hallway that day, when the DeVeres' door had flown open.
”Simp Wolley!” whispered Alice, in tense tones to Ruth. ”It's that man who was after Russ's patent.”
”Then don't let him see you.”
”I won't--no danger. They're going out now. Come on!”
”Where?” asked Ruth, as Alice reached for her gloves.
”We must go to warn Russ.”
”But we haven't eaten what we ordered,” objected Ruth, pointing to the food, hardly touched, on the table.
”No matter, we can pay for it.”
”But the cas.h.i.+er will think it so odd.”
”What do we care. It's our food--we'll pay for it, and we can do what we like with it then. We can eat it or not.”
”But they'll think it so queer. They may think we have some prejudice against it, and----”
Ruth was a stickler for the established order of things. Alice was more in the habit of taking ”cross-cuts.”
”Don't be silly!” exclaimed the younger girl. ”We've just got to get out of here and warn Russ before those men have a chance to take his patent. You heard what they said about doing it to-night!”
”Well, I suppose we must,” a.s.sented Ruth, with a sigh. ”But it seems a shame to waste all that good food.”
”It won't be wasted. We can tell them to give it to some poor person.”
”Oh, Alice! You are so--so queer.”
”I'd be worse than queer if I sat here and ate while Russ was being robbed of his patent. I should think you'd want to help him. I thought you and he----”
”Alice!” warned Ruth, with a sudden a.s.sumption of dignity. But she blushed prettily.
”Oh, you know what I mean. Come on. Don't sit there talking any longer, and raising objections. We've got to hurry.”
”Yes, I suppose so. Oh, Alice, I hope nothing happens!”
”So do I.”
”I mean to us.”
”And I mean to Russ. A distinction without a difference.”
The two girls drew on their gloves and left the restaurant. As Ruth had expected, the cas.h.i.+er at the desk looked at them curiously as they paid for the meal they had not eaten. But Alice forestalled any open criticism by saying:
”We find we have to leave sooner than we expected. If you like, give our meal to some poor person. We haven't had time to touch it.”