And there my grand little scheme is shot full of holes, all in a
second. When I get headway on like I had then, though, I just don't
know when I'm blocked. I swallows hard once or twice, and then shrugs
my shoulders.

"Let's get the license, anyway," says I.

"What's the sense?" asks Vee.

"I can have it to read over, can't I?" says I. "That'll help some.
Besides-- Ah, come on, Vee! Be a sport. Didn't you say you'd leave
it to me?"

"But I can't break my promise, Torchy," says she.

"That's right," says I, "and I wouldn't ask you to. Let's take the
subway."

I won; and when I put her in a taxi an hour later she was still
blushin' from answerin' questions. I had that paper with the city seal
on it in my inside pocket, though. My next job is on the Reverend
Percey, the one who did the job for Mr. Robert the time I stage-managed
his impromptu knot-tyin'. Course, I couldn't sign him up for anything
definite, but I got a schedule of his spare time from six o'clock on,
and where he would be.

"But I--I don't quite understand," says he, starin' puzzled through his
glasses. "You say you are uncertain whether my services will be--"

"Now listen, Percey," says I. "I'm the most uncertain party at the
present writing that you ever saw. But if I should 'phone, I want you
to answer the call like a deputy chief goin' to a third alarm. Get
that? And I'm payin' time and a half for every minute after dark.
See?"

Maybe that wasn't just the way to hire a reverend, but I was too rushed
to think up the proper frills. I had to attend to a lot of little
things, among 'em bein' this plant with Auntie's cruisin' friend, the
widow. She was in the habit, Mrs. Mumford was, of pickin' Auntie up
now and then for an evenin' drive in her limousine; and what I was
tryin' to suggest was that this would be a swell night for it.

"But I don't see how I can," says she, cooin' as usual. "Mrs.
Hemmingway is to be a guest at a going-away dinner, and may not be home
until late."

"Eh?" says I. "Why, that's fine--I mean, for Auntie. Ripping, eh,
what? Much obliged."

The foxy old girl. She'd never mentioned it. And if I hadn't found
out just as I-- But I did. It simplifies things a lot. That is, it
would unless-- Here I grabs the 'phone again and calls up Vee.

"Auntie's going out to dinner to-night," says I.

"Yes, I know," says Vee. "She has just told me. I am not included."

"Then whisper," says I. "Revise t