"Very well then. I will make a scene—right here—a terrible scene." He caught her two hands in his, and drew her toward him so that the keys at her belt jangled and clashed.
"This is preposterous!" she exclaimed.
"Not so preposterous as you think. But what's your first name?"
"I think I haven't any at the moment."
"Don't be ridiculous. There—there—"
She tore her hands from him and struck at him wildly. But he ducked like a trained boxer.
"With everybody looking!" she cried, crimson with mortification.
"I had a cable," he said, "calling me back to America. That is why I have to hurry over the preliminaries."
"The preliminaries," she cried, almost in tears. "Do you know who I am that you treat me like a barmaid?"
"Ladies," said McTavish, "who masquerade as housekeepers ought to know what to expect."