Part 25 (1/2)
She looked at him in perplexity for a moment.
”Oh, yes; the lease,” she remembered. ”I'll introduce you and you can ask him about it.”
”Don't mention it!” hastily objected Johnny. ”You may introduce me, but you do the talking.”
”All right, boss,” she laughingly agreed, and turned straight over to the head of the Schnitts' table, where she introduced her companion in due form.
”I want my walking suit,” she demanded.
Heinrich's face had lighted with pleasure at the sight of Constance, but there was a trace of sadness in his voice.
”You must tell Louis Ersten,” he politely advised her.
”I did,” protested Constance. ”He's holding it back on account of the coat, and that's your affair.”
”It is Louis Ersten's,” insisted Heinrich with dignity. ”I have retired from business.”
”You don't mean to say you've left Ersten?” returned Constance in surprise.
”I have retired from business,” reiterated Heinrich.
”Ersten wouldn't give papa enough room,” broke in Mama Schnitt indignantly, ”so he quits, and he don't go back till he does.”
”So I don't ever go back,” concluded Heinrich.
”Well, we got enough that papa don't have to work any more,” a.s.serted Mama Schnitt with proper pride and a glance at Flora Kraus; ”but he gets lonesome. That's why we make him come down to Coney to-day and enjoy himself. He was with Louis Ersten thirty-seven years.”
A wave of homesickness swept over Heinrich.
”I take it easy in my old days,” he stoutly maintained, but with such inward distress that, without a protest, he allowed the waiter to remove his half-emptied gla.s.s of beer.
”I'm glad you can take it easy,” declared Constance, ”but Ersten's customers will miss you very much--and I am sure Ersten will, too.”
”We worked together thirty-seven years,” said Schnitt wistfully.
”I'm sure it's only obstinacy,” commented Constance when she and Johnny had rejoined their party. ”Why, Mr. Schnitt and Mr. Ersten have grown up together in the business, and they seemed more like brothers than anything else. I'd give anything to bring them together again!”
”I'll ask you for it some time,” a.s.serted Johnny confidently.
He caught a flash of challenge in her eyes and realized that he was moving faster than his schedule would permit.
”I'm going to bring them together, you know,” he a.s.sured her in confusion.
”I do hope so,” she demurely replied.
”We're wasting an awful lot of time!” called Winnie. ”The Ca.n.a.ls of Venice! We haven't been in this.” And she promptly bought six tickets.
In the bustle of taking boats an officious guard succeeded, for the thousandth time that day, in the joyful duty of separating a party; and Constance and Johnny were left behind to enjoy the next boat all to themselves.
It was dim and cool in there--all narrow gravity ca.n.a.ls, and quaint canvas buildings, and queer arches, and mellow lights, with little dark curves and long winding reaches, and a restfulness almost like solemnity.