All the hunger in Phil’s being welled up at the very sight of her; smart, neat, healthy, radiant, vivacious, and pretty as the bursting red roses on her bosom.
He caught her two hands in his and looked down at her; and as she gave a little pleasure-laugh far down in her throat, he almost drew her up to his breast, when a cough from Jim startled him back to the cold truth that he was in the open office of the Langford-Ralston Financial Corporation, among half a dozen salesmen and as many stenographers.
Jim and Phil escorted Eileen into their private office, and there they fired back their answers to her queries until she gasped in sheer bewilderment at the tremendous success of their daring enterprise.
“And, oh, boys!––you’re making good. I knew you would. Glad!––I’m so glad, because you are just like two big brothers of mine.”
“Now, Eileen,” put in Jim, “kindly dispense with the ‘brother’ stuff. You can’t tell me that you are going to be a mere sister to both of us.”
She blushed.
“Does he know?” she queried at Phil.
“He thinks he does,” said Phil. “I haven’t told him a thing.”
“Oh, haven’t you?” remarked Jim.
“Shall we tell him, Phil?”