“Night before last.”
“How far?”
“How can I tell? Not far. A few miles.”
“And back. And it took you all night,” she accused.
“What if it did?” he cried peevishly. “A man’s got to have some relief from work, hasn’t he? It was livelier than sitting all night with one’s eye glued to a microscope barrel!”
“Oh, beetle man, beetle man! I don’t know about you at all. What kind of a strange queer creature are you? Have you wings, Mr. Beetle Man?”
Suddenly she bent over and laid her soft lips upon the scarified palm. The Unspeakable Perk sat up, with a half-cry.
“Now the other one,” said the girl. Her face was a mantle of rose-color, but her eyes shone.
“I won’t! You shan’t!”
“The other one!” she commanded imperiously.