"Oh, excuse me," Roy apologized. "Miss Harry."
Harry hesitated. Then,
"Those that I like call me Harry," she said. "And you—you rescued the baby. So—you may call me Harry, without the Miss, you know."
"I'll try to deserve the honor," replied Roy very gravely.
Harry observed him suspiciously.
"There you go being polite and nasty," she said crossly. Then, with a sudden change of manner, she advanced toward him with one very brown and somewhat dirty little hand stretched forth and a ludicrous smirk on her face. "I forgot you were a new boy," she said. "I hope your stay with us will be both pleasant and profitable."
Roy accepted the proffered hand bewilderedly.
"There," she said, with a little shake of her shoulders and a quick abandonment of the funny stilted tone and manner, "there, that's done. Mamma makes me do that, you know. It's awfully silly, isn't it?"
Methuselah, who, during the conversation, had remained perched silently on the girl's shoulder, now decided to take part in the proceedings.
"Well, I never did!" he exclaimed hoarsely. "Can't you be quiet? Naughty Poll! Stop your swearing! Stop your swearing!"