"You're not a friend," she broke in.
"I want to be. What will that floorwalker chap say if Little Sister is thrown back on Peter Rolls's hands? It might get you into trouble."
"I can't help that," Win was beginning desperately, when Earl Usher came hurrying up from the other end
of the department, where he had been selling automatic toy pistols.
"Excuse me, Miss Child," said he briskly, "but that doll is sold. I ought to have marked it, but forgot. My fault. While you was away to lunch it happened. The purchaser is going to look in to-night, between six and six-thirty, to pay and take the parcel away."
Mr. Tobias, hearing this announcement, came bustling into closer earshot again.
"Very remiss—very remiss not to have marked the doll as sold," he sputtered. "I don't think we can let the deal stand. This gentleman has offered to purchase in good faith, and here's his money. Your customer may as like as not go back on the bargain."
"He won't," said Ursus firmly. "It's a man. He's often here doing business. He'll be awful mad, and we'll lose him certain sure if we throw him down like that. I'll be responsible."
"You!" sneered Tobias, impressed nevertheless. "Why, you ain't more than a ten-dollar man, if you're that. This doll costs twenty dollars."
"I know, and I don't pretend to have saved up a million. But this mix-up is my fault, and the man was my customer, so I ought to stand the racket. Look here," and he proudly drew forth from some inner pocket on his enormous chest a handsome gold watch destitute of a chain. "Presentation," he announced. "You can see my name and the date. I've hocked this more'n once and got forty. Will you keep it till my customer turns up?"