The cure would have seemed still more necessary if he could have seen how Howard was welcomed in the real-estate office. Frederica's astonished pleasure was as frank as a man's.
"Good work!" she said, and struck her hand into his. "But I didn't expect you for a month!"
"I couldn't stand it any longer," he told her, joyously. "How's business? How's Laura?"
"Well, clients are not exactly blocking the corridors," she said; "but I'm bursting with pride; I came out ahead last month!"
"Gee!" he said, admiringly. "Well, tell us the news!"
"I've finished my paper," she said. She pushed an open map aside so that she could sit on the edge of her big office table, and looked at him delightedly. "I'm crazy to read it to you. Sit down and light up!" She struck a match on the sole of her shoe, and handed it to him.
"I'm crazy to hear it! Laura's skiddooed. I went to Billy-boy's"—he blew the match out and dropped it on the floor;—"and got thrown down on the front steps."
"Yes, she's playing around with the Mortons. I was asked, but—there are so many more interesting things here! Howard, they are talking about abolishing the red-light district, and we're going to get that bill I wrote you about, through the Legislature, if we bust!"
"What bill?"