"She won't give me the chance to tell her," Basil groaned. "I think she suspects, though," he added darkly.
"Fine," Earl said. "And there's no time like the present. Why don't you go back and pop the question right now while you have your nerve up?"
Basil sighed. "I'll have to work up to it. Right now I'd rather tag along with you. Mind?"
"No," Earl groaned. "Not at all. A—cousin of mine has a birthday coming up. I thought I'd buy her some new clothes. No use you tagging along."
"Don't mind at all," Basil said. "We can do some more talking. Maybe we could cook up some scheme to make Irene fall in love with me. But every time I think I'm going great with her I pull something like dropping that test tube in your lab."
"Oh, that," Earl said. "I—" He clamped his lips shut.
"See you at Glassman's at dinner tonight," Earl said firmly an hour later. As Basil still hesitated, he added, "Maybe I can think of something by then. Meanwhile I've still got work to do."
"Uh, oh sure," Basil said, "but I'm afraid it's no use. She's in love with you, Earl."
"Nonsense!" Earl unlocked the door to his lab and went in with his packages. He stacked them on a lab table and locked the hall door. A quick survey showed the lab as it should be. Earl had been worried. Since Nadine had become a full sized person, maybe the little green man had too.