A waitress had approached and was standing behind them.
She resented his brusque manner, now that the waitress was there to hear. “I have done such a thing,” she said. “As a rule I’m permitted to choose for myself.”
“Well, by all means do, then.”
She turned to the waitress and lowered her voice by a full tone. “A cup of chocolate, please; not too thick; and some wafers.” She faced Baron again with a ready change of countenance and voice, and touched upon some trivial subject which he recognized as a formal means of dispelling any impression that there was something unusual in their relationship or appearance.
“Now, Bonnie May,” he began, when they were alone, “I want you to help me as far as you can. Who took you to the theatre this afternoon?”
“I went with Miss Barry.”
“Good. Who is Miss Barry?”
“Miss Florence Barry. You don’t mean to say you don’t know who she is?”
“I never heard of her.”
“She’s an actress. She’s very well known, too.”