“She is very shy,” said Clowes, framing the word “Tea” with her lips and nodding brightly to the waitress. She added kindly:—
“I don’t think sending flowers means much with her. She gives flowers to heaps of people. She is a very odd girl.”
“Does she give flowers to Mitchell?” he asked furiously, coming at last with great relief to the consuming thought in his mind.
“Yes,” said Clowes. “She is very unhappy about Mitchell and that Hetty Finch affair.”
“Has he told her then?”
“Yes.”
“Why did he tell her?”
“I’m sure I don’t know.”
“I’ll tell you,” cried Mendel. “I’ll tell you. To make himself interesting to her, because he is not interesting. He is nothing. And I will tell you something more. He has been telling her things about me to excuse himself. Now, hasn’t he? . . . I can see by your face that he has.”