"There ain't nothin' better f'r hitchin' blocks, pavin' stones an' tombstones," declared the signor. Then, with an inspiration: "An' holy-stones, too. Get that, bish? Holy-stones. Ain't that a hot one? Hey, Bill, did you get it? I'm tellin' the bish they take this here Carranza marble——"
Bill interrupted firmly.
"I doubt if the bishop would be interested in the details, signor," he said. "Your work speaks for itself. You see"—to the bishop—"while the signor fully understands all the purposes for which Carrara marble may be used, he is really a specialist on heads and busts."
"Portrait work," suggested the bishop, still a trifle dazed.
"Exactly. The expression that he can put into a face is often marvelous."
"Do you think," inquired Aunt Caroline, hesitating as though she were asking the impossible, "that he would consent to show some of his work here?"
"Any time, lady; any time," said the signor heartily. "Only I ain't brung me workin' clothes an'——"
He broke off as his glance enveloped a figure standing in a doorway that led to the hall.
"My Gawd! It's Pete!"