"No, no, no," protested Henrietta. "How silly! You don't understand me at all."
"I would hate to be a clerk at a bargain sale," said the Watermelon, pilfering a cracker from the box Billy held.
"Yes," agreed Bartlett, "think of the microbes—"
"Microbes?" asked Billy who had not been following the conversation. "Where?"
"In kisses, Billy," said the general. "I should think you would have found it out by this time. Everybody you kiss—"
"I never kiss anybody," protested Billy, blushing delightfully.
"Father used to say—" began the Watermelon.
"Look here," interrupted Bartlett, "that father of yours was a minister, you say. I vow he could know nothing about this subject."
"He married more people than you have," said the Watermelon.
"Yes," said Henrietta kindly, "he must have known all about it. Do tell us what he said."