“H’yah, baby,” I said. “You all right?”
“Some guy’s goin’ to pay for this,” she said furiously, “you see if he don’t.”
I had a little grin to myself in the darkness. This dame’s temper couldn’t be put out even with water.
“Suppose we go home?” I said, swimming along at her side. “I guess we’ve done enough for one night.”
Together we swam quietly to the lights on the waterfront.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
IT WAS TRICKY work smuggling Blondie into my apartment. If she didn’t mind getting herself talked about, I did.
We certainly had all the luck. After swimming around for a little while, we made the waterfront. A docker nearly had a fit when we climbed up the side of the wharf right at his feet. Once he’d got over the shock of seeing Blondie in her wet undies, he extended a helping hand. He took us along to his place and fitted us out with a couple of worn-out suits. We both looked tramps, but we didn’t give a damn.
The docker seemed quite content to accept a phoney story I’d made up for his consumption, and when I promised him twenty dollars if he got us a taxi, he couldn’t do enough for us. That was how we got home.
Right now, Blondie was lying in the bath soaking her bruises, and I Was crouched over the fire with a glass of Scotch in my hand.