But I did not succeed in freezing him. He indulged in an affable smile, which made him seem all teeth and mouth.
“Quite simple. Hope you’ll permit me to have the pleasure of presenting you with a box of gloves; you’ll find them rippers, got them from a really decent fellow; makes specially for me—sixes.”
“I take sevens.”
“Do you? Glad to hear it. Like a girl to have a good-sized hand. Hate your little namby things, better suited to a doll than to the end of a woman’s arm.” A nice observation to make, considering that both Audrey and Doris were present, and that they are notorious for their tiny hands. But Mr Hammond went unconcernedly on. “If you want a more sensible size you can easily change them, or I will for you. I’ve got a largish hand myself.”
He had. He held out in front of me, with an air of simpering satisfaction, the very largest hand I had ever seen. I wondered what acreage of ground a hand like that might represent. But I did not quite say so.
“I understood you to say that those gloves were to settle a bet which you had lost to Eveleen.”
“That’s all right. You take these—I’ll soon get her some others—don’t you worry about Miss Eveleen.”
“I would rather not take them, thank you.”
“Perhaps you’re right; may as well get a decent size straight away—a larger box—better quality. Got two stalls for the Gaiety to-night; hope you’ll do me the pleasure of occupying one.”
“Do I understand that you are offering me Eveleen’s stall?”