"I'm taking a short cut to the divan," replied the bachelor, sitting down beside the widow, "and I've got the courage at last——"
"How dare you, Billy Travers!"
"And the audacity——"
"Stop! Stop!"
"And the nerve——"
"Mr. Taylor," announced the maid, appearing suddenly between the portieres at this critical moment.
"Oh, mercy!" cried the widow, "and my hair is just——"
"Am I intruding?" asked a fresh-faced young man, entering briskly between the portieres.
"Not at all, Bobby," said the widow sweetly, holding out one hand and feeling her back hair with the other. "You arrived just at the—psychological moment. We have been talking about you for the last half hour."