"Where is she, Robie? Take me to her."
"Balloons? Would you like to watch me blow up a balloon?"
The little girl began to cry. The sound triggered off another of Robie's novelty circuits, a service feature that had brought in a lot of favorable publicity.
"Is something wrong?" he asked. "Are you in trouble? Are you lost?"
"Yes, Robie. Take me to my mother."
"Stay right here," Robie said reassuringly, "and don't be frightened. I will call a policeman." He whistled shrilly, twice.
Time passed. Robie whistled again. The windows flared and roared. The little girl begged, "Take me away, Robie," and jumped onto a little step in his hoopskirt.
"Give me a dime," Robie said.
The little girl found one in her pocket and put it in his claws.
"Your weight," Robie said, "is fifty-four and one-half pounds."