"I want to leave my baby here until I get in touch with friends who have failed to meet me."
A quick suspicion of foundling crossed the old face.
"We don't take the responsibility of infants."
"But this is urgent. I must locate my friends in Brooklyn. I cannot find them in the telephone book and evidently they have not received my telegram."
"We don't do it."
Then Lilly went gallantly down to her last handful of change, all but a ten-cent piece.
"She's the best little thing. Sleeps the night through. I've two bottles of prepared food here in my bag. Her next feeding time is at ten and her next at six—"
"We don't keep infants for nothing like that long, madam. I go off duty at seven and—"
"I haven't any intention of leaving her that long, just until I get in touch with my friends."
With the mound of change ingratiated into the old palm and the little bundle transferred to arms more or less reluctantly held out for it, Lilly lifted back a corner of the blanket.