"Well, but it's frightfully important," Joey tumbled out in desperate haste for fear he should shut the door in her face. "If I could help you clearing up or anything like that after, to make up for wasting your time now, I would like a shot if you'd let me, but...."
"Ah, it is of course the scholarship girl that tink she has the duty to tidy here," said the Professor. His temper seemed to have suddenly improved. "You may come in, and tell me vat it is you vish to say."
Joey came in. Even in that supreme moment she noticed that the Lab looked very much as though it needed tidying. The Professor saw her glance.
"Dere is so much that I must do to make all in readiness for my successor," he said blandly.
"Is he coming at once?" Joey asked.
"In two, tree days after I have left; I go away to-morrow, and, ma foi! I tink I must be again up 'alf de night to prepare the Lab for him. So if you tink you see me signalling again...."
"I shan't be startled," Joey finished for him. "But I wasn't really before—it's only Tiddles and babies like that who are frightened of you, and they're so little, you know; they can't help it. But I wanted to ask you about that night—it was jolly dark, you know; that's partly why your signalling was so beautifully plain—do you think you might just possibly have been mistaken ... about the girl you saw?..."
"You tink I make de lie, hein?" the Professor asked.
"Oh no, of course not," Joey assured him in a great hurry. "You're French, you know, and French people would be just as much the soul of honour as English, of course. It's only Huns who tell lies, one knows. Only it was a very dark night, and Redlands girls always have owned up about things before—and it's so desperate about being stopped from the match and all, you know, that Noreen O'Hara—the one whom you call 'Fathead' in Stinks Class—is going to say she did it, though she didn't, for the sake of the rest and one can't let her do that, can one?"
"An' I am to prevent Mees O'Hara from telling de lie—by the vay, it seems it is not only Huns dat do dat after all—by telling Mees Conyngham that I consider myself mistake'?" the Professor said slowly.