“Don’t you think you could go out for a—just a sandwich and a bottle of beer?” he pleaded, feeling that he had wantonly betrayed his friendly neighbour.
“Couldn’t think of it,” she said. “The nurse will be here at eleven. I’ll just have to go home. He insists on absolute quiet for me and I’m on a dreadful diet.” A bright thought struck her. “Do you know, I have to keep my door locked so as not to be startled by––”
The sharp, insistent voice of the callboy broke in on her flow of excuses.
“There! I’ll have to go on in a second. The curtain’s going up. Good-night, gentlemen. Good-night, Harvey dear. Give me a kiss.”
She pecked at his cheek with her carmine lips.
“Just half an hour at some quiet little restaurant,” he was saying when she fled past him toward the stage.
“Sorry, dear,” she called, then stopped to 68 speak to Mr. Butler. “Thank you so much, Mr. Butler. Won’t you repeat the invitation some time later on? So good of you to bring Harvey in. Bring Mrs. Butler in some night, and if I’m better we will have a jolly little spree, just the four of us. Will you do it?”
She beamed on him. Butler bowed very low and said:—
“It will give me great pleasure, Miss Duluth.”
“Good-night, then.”