The other men were moving impatiently.
"Ah, cut out the preliminaries!" growled Joe.
Jack was direct enough when he got ready to be. "Are you married?" he asked Bela point-blank.
Bela was a stranger to the tremors and blushes imposed upon civilized women at such a crisis. "No," she said with her inscrutable face.
"Do you want to be?"
She shrugged with fine carelessness. "I suppose I got get 'osban' some tam."
"Well, take your pick of the four of us," said Jack. "I ain't sayin' we're prize specimens, mind you. But you'll hardly do better at that up here. Anyhow, look us over."
She proceeded to do so. Under her glance each man bore himself according to his nature. Her eyes showed no change as they moved along the line. None of them could tell what thoughts lay behind that direct, calm glance. Having inspected each one, her eyes returned to Jack as if inviting him to speak further.
"Husky speaks first, according to arrangement," said Jack, waving his hand.
Husky's speech was moist, incoherent, and plaintive.