Maud rose and went out, with a tired smile on her face that emphasized her resemblance to her mother. Bert couldn't forget that smile, and he was still thinking about the girl, and what her life must be, when Hartley came in.
"By jinks! It's snifty, as dad used to say. You can't draw a long breath through your nostrils; freeze y'r nose solid as a bottle," he announced, throwing off his coat with an air which seemed to make him an old resident of the room.
"By the way, I've just found out why you was so anxious to get into this house, hey?" he said, slapping Bert's knee. "Another case o' girl."
Bert blushed; he couldn't help it, notwithstanding his innocence in this case. Hartley went on.
"Oh, I know you! A girl in the house; might 'a' known it," Hartley continued, in a hoarse whisper.
"I didn't know it myself till about ten minutes ago," protested Bert.
Hartley winked prodigiously.
"Don't tell me! Is she pretty?"
"No—that is, you wouldn't call her so."
"Oh, the deuce I wouldn't! Don't you wish I wouldn't? I'd like to see the girl I wouldn't call pretty, right to her face, too."