“Has Alty come back?”
“Oh, say,” protested Pat. “What is this, anyway? A spelling bee? Go ahead, Neddie. Tell us all you know and don’t strangle under it.”
“All I know is,” went on Edna, panting from the importance of her message, “Mary came to the door and told the kitchen girl——”
“Her name is Tillie, Edna,” volunteered Janet.
“All right. Mary told Tillie to fetch a hot foot bath——”
“Oh, maybe it’s pneumonia.”
“Shut up, Ethel. Go ahead, Ned,” ordered Pat.
“I don’t think it’s pneumonia, for I heard Jack laugh——”
“Oh, they do sometimes,” Gloria swallowed her own chuckle. “A laugh really isn’t a serious symptom.”
“Now, don’t tease Edna when she’s just panting with sheer exertion and trying to answer your silly questions,” interceded Blanche. “If some of you had to duck in and out that hall, under doctor’s bags, hot water bags, and steaming hot baths——”