“Julien,” the girl exclaimed suddenly. She was laughing. Her arms embraced the surprised young man. He felt himself powerless for an instant. The warmth of her body was against him. Her lips waited intimately for his kiss.
“Oh, I adore you,” he murmured. His arms tightened around her and they remained embraced as the cab rolled jerkily on.
The driver was talking. De Medici removed his eyes bewilderedly from Florence.
“What is it?” he inquired.
“I think there’s a telephone in that drugstore,” the driver repeated.
De Medici stepped out of the cab. Several minutes later he returned, smiling broadly.
“The parent thaws,” he announced exuberantly. “We have his consent and his blessing.”
“But you told me you had all that in advance,” Florence laughed.
“I know,” he went on excitedly, “but our talk last night was only sort of a rehearsal.”
“What did he say?” she asked as he sat down beside her.