“OURS, dear,” she murmured softly, with a bashful droop of her lids.
“But THIS one?” persisted Alfred, pointing to the baby in his arms, and feeling sure that his mind was about to give way.
“Why—why—why,” stuttered Zoie, “THAT'S the JOKE.”
“The joke?” echoed Alfred, looking as though he found it anything but such.
“Yes,” added Aggie, sharing Zoie's desperation to get out of their temporary difficulty, no matter at what cost in the future. “Didn't Jimmy tell you?”
“Tell me WHAT?” stammered Alfred, “what IS there to tell?”
“Why, you see,” said Aggie, growing more enthusiastic with each elaboration of Zoie's lie, “we didn't dare to break it to you too suddenly.”
“Break it to me?” gasped Alfred; a new light was beginning to dawn on his face.
“So,” concluded Zoie, now thoroughly at home in the new situation, “we asked Jimmy to take THAT one OUT.”
Jimmy cast an inscrutable glance in Zoie's direction. Was it possible that she was at last assisting him out of a difficulty?