"No," she replied, in tones of sudden decision, "I'd be pleased to go with you. I can do what I planned to-night any other time."
"Thank you, Miss Sprunt."
Her fingers trembled as she worked, and his suddenly closed over them.
"You poor, tired little girl," he repeated.
She gulped down her emotions.
"Miss Sprunt, this is neither the time nor the place for me to express myself, yet somehow our great moments come when we least expect them."
She let her limp fingers rest in his; she was strangely calm.
"I know it is always a great pleasure to have you come in, Mr. Chase."
"The first time I dropped in was chance, Miss Sprunt. You can see for yourself that I am not the sort of fellow who goes in for the little niceties like manicures. I'm what you might call the seedy kind. But the second time I dropped in for a manicure was not accident, nor the third time, nor the tenth—it was you."
"You've been extravagant all on account of me?" she parried.