“What’s in the wind?” inquired Harry, strolling into the room without the formality of knocking. “I’ve heard Max hurrying you up for the last hour, Louis; and Leon and I are getting curious to know what’s going on. What’s the whyness of all this prinking, I’d like to know?”
“Louis thinks the fate of the nation is hanging on his getting his hair smooth,” returned Max. “He wants to put in a fine appearance, for he’s asked the girls to go to ride, this afternoon. The worst of it is, he insists on my going too, for ballast. Shouldn’t you think he’d be afraid I’d hoodoo him? I say, Wing, why didn’t you put your hair in papers over night, to give it an aristocratic curl?”
“It’ll have to go as ’tis,” replied Louis complacently, as, with his eye, he measured the points of his collar, to see that they were even.
“I don’t really see, myself,” continued Max gloomily; “the use of playing the agreeable to a girl old enough to be your maiden aunt. One of these damsels is eighteen and the other is twenty-two; and they most likely regard you as a promising infant, Wing. Why can’t you be sensible and leave them to Lieutenant Wilde and Bony?”
“I don’t care for little girls, myself,” said Louis, once more picking up his hairbrush. “If I’d known you felt this way about it, I’d have asked one of the other fellows to go in your place, and left you to play dolls with Gyp.”
“You didn’t dare,” chuckled Max; “you were afraid they’d cut you out; but you knew there wasn’t any danger of my doing it. Now you see here, you told me to be ready at half-past two. Here ’tis three, and we have to go up to the stable to get the horses. How soon are you going to be ready, I’d like to know?”
“I’ll be ready to leave the house in exactly five minutes,” answered Louis.
“All right; I’ll be back by that time,” and Max went out of the room, leaving Harry and Louis alone.
“Look out for yourself, Wing,” advised Harry. “Max is up to some mischief, I know, for his eyes never look that way when he’s innocent. He’ll probably do something to pay you for your prinking, all this time.”
“What can he do?” asked Louis, looking a little alarmed.