They sat again in silence, grinning, and listening to the murmur of voices.
There came the sound of a step in the hallway. It ceased at a point opposite the door of Hawker"s studio. Presently it was heard again.
Florinda entered the den. "h.e.l.lo!" she cried, "who is over in Billie"s place? I was just going to knock----"
They motioned at her violently. "Sh!" they whispered. Their countenances were very impressive.
"What"s the matter with you fellows?" asked Florinda in her ordinary tone; whereupon they made gestures of still greater wildness. "S-s-sh!"
Florinda lowered her voice properly. "Who is over there?"
"Some swells," they whispered.
Florinda bent her head. Presently she gave a little start. "Who is over there?" Her voice became a tone of deep awe. "She?"
Wrinkles and Grief exchanged a swift glance. Pennoyer said gruffly, "Who do you mean?"
"Why," said Florinda, "you know. She. The--the girl that Billie likes."
Pennoyer hesitated for a moment and then said wrathfully: "Of course she is! Who do you suppose?"
"Oh!" said Florinda. She took a seat upon the divan, which was privately a coal-box, and unb.u.t.toned her jacket at the throat. "Is she--is she--very handsome, Wrink?"
Wrinkles replied stoutly, "No."
Grief said: "Let"s make a sneak down the hall to the little unoccupied room at the front of the building and look from the window there. When they go out we can pipe "em off."
"Come on!" they exclaimed, accepting this plan with glee.
Wrinkles opened the door and seemed about to glide away, when he suddenly turned and shook his head. "It"s dead wrong," he said, ashamed.
"Oh, go on!" eagerly whispered the others. Presently they stole pattering down the corridor, grinning, exclaiming, and cautioning each other.
At the window Pennoyer said: "Now, for heaven"s sake, don"t let them see you!--Be careful, Grief, you"ll tumble.--Don"t lean on me that way, Wrink; think I"m a barn door? Here they come. Keep back. Don"t let them see you."
"O-o-oh!" said Grief. "Talk about a peach! Well, I should say so."
Florinda"s fingers tore at Wrinkle"s coat sleeve. "Wrink, Wrink, is that her? Is that her? On the left of Billie? Is that her, Wrink?"
"What? Yes. Stop punching me! Yes, I tell you! That"s her. Are you deaf?"
CHAPTER x.x.xI.
In the evening Pennoyer conducted Florinda to the flat of many fire-escapes. After a period of silent tramping through the great golden avenue and the street that was being repaired, she said, "Penny, you are very good to me."
"Why?" said Pennoyer.
"Oh, because you are. You--you are very good to me, Penny."
"Well, I guess I"m not killing myself."
"There isn"t many fellows like you."
"No?"
"No. There isn"t many fellows like you, Penny. I tell you "most everything, and you just listen, and don"t argue with me and tell me I"m a fool, because you know that it--because you know that it can"t be helped, anyhow."
"Oh, nonsense, you kid! Almost anybody would be glad to----"
"Penny, do you think she is very beautiful?" Florinda"s voice had a singular quality of awe in it.
"Well," replied Pennoyer, "I don"t know."
"Yes, you do, Penny. Go ahead and tell me."
"Well----"
"Go ahead."
"Well, she is rather handsome, you know."
"Yes," said Florinda, dejectedly, "I suppose she is." After a time she cleared her throat and remarked indifferently, "I suppose Billie cares a lot for her?"
"Oh, I imagine that he does--in a way."
"Why, of course he does," insisted Florinda. "What do you mean by "in a way"? You know very well that Billie thinks his eyes of her."
"No, I don"t."
"Yes, you do. You know you do. You are talking in that way just to brace me up. You know you are."
"No, I"m not."
"Penny," said Florinda thankfully, "what makes you so good to me?"
"Oh, I guess I"m not so astonishingly good to you. Don"t be silly."
"But you are good to me, Penny. You don"t make fun of me the way--the way the other boys would. You are just as good as you can be.--But you do think she is beautiful, don"t you?"
"They wouldn"t make fun of you," said Pennoyer.
"But do you think she is beautiful?"
"Look here, Splutter, let up on that, will you? You keep harping on one string all the time. Don"t bother me!"
"But, honest now, Penny, you do think she is beautiful?"