"Why not? The fresh air is balmy to-day, and would do him good. I have a carriage at the door, and if you are unwilling to trust the boy with me, I should be glad to take you also. May I?"
Her blue eyes glittered and her lips straightened their curves.
"Most certainly not."
"Pardon me, madam; my interest in your child——"
"Does not justify a man of your position in taking a 'department store saleswoman' to drive on Sunday through public places."
"Perhaps you are right. Then I shall efface myself promptly, and you and Leighton can keep the carriage as long as you like."
"Such favors I accept from no man."
"Not even to help your sick boy?"
She put her hand on the child's shining curls, and a world of tenderness glorified her velvet eyes.
"Not even for my very own baby could I incur such an obligation."