"
"Lucky Uncle William!"
"Be still, Bertram!"
"Well, doesn't she know your--mistake?--that you thought she was a boy?"
"Heaven forbid!--I hope not," cried the man, fervently. "I 'most let it
out once, but I think she didn't notice it. You see, we--we were both
surprised."
"Well, I should say!"
"And, Bertram, I can't turn her out--I can't, I tell you. Only fancy my
going to her now and saying: 'If you please, Billy, you can't live at
my house, after all. I thought you were a boy, you know!' Great Scott!
Bert, if she'd once turned those big brown eyes of hers on you as she
has on me, you'd see!"
"I'd be delighted, I'm sure," sung a merry voice across the wires.
"Sounds real interesting!"
"Bertram, can't you be serious and help me out?"
"But what CAN we do?"
"I don't know. We'll have to think; but for now, get Kate. Telephone
her. Tell her to come right straight over, and that she's got to stay
all night."
"All night!"
"Of course! Billy's got to have a chaperon; hasn't she? Now hurry. We
shall be up right away."
"Kate's got company."
"Never mind--leave 'em. Tell her she's got to leave 'em. And tell Cyril,
of course, what to expect. And, look a-here, you two behave, now. None
of your nonsense! Now mind. I'm not going to have this child tormented."
"I won't bat an eyelid--on my word, I won't," chuckled Bertram.
Pages:
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44