or Vincent, except hang
around and 'phone out to Vee that probably I'd be late home for dinner.
Seeing as how I was drillin' around at 6:30 in a doorway up opposite the
Cafe Caroni it looked like I would. But I'd seen Chuck Dempsey drift in
all dolled up sporty, and then Mirabelle. As for Vincent, he was right
on the dot, as usual. He wasn't tickled to death to find me waitin' for
him, either.

"Oh, I say, Torchy!" he protests.

"You wouldn't want to make it a threesome, eh?" I suggests.

"I'd much rather not," says he.

"Then we'll remember that," says I. "No harm in my edgin' in long enough
to drop a word to Joe, the head waiter, to give you a nice quiet corner
table and take care of you well, is there?"

"I'm sorry," says Vincent. "I didn't know but what you----"

"Not me," says I. "I'll stay long enough to get you started right. Come
along. Ah, there's Joe, down at the end, and when he--Eh? Did you choke
or anything? Well, of all things!"

Course, he'd spotted 'em right away--Mirabelle and Chuck Dempsey.
They're at a little table over by the wall chattin' away cosy and
confidential. It hadn't taken 'em long to re-establish friendly
relations. In fact, Chuck was just reachin' playful for one of
Mirabelle's hands and he was gettin' away with the act.

"Why," says I, "it looks like the S.R.O. sign was out already."

Yes, it was a bit raw for Vincent. He shows his polite bringin' up
though. No rash moves or hasty words from him. He backs out graceful,
even if he is a bit pale about the gills. And not until we're well
outside does he let loose a husky remark.

"Well, I--I've been made a fool of, I suppose," says he.

"That depends on who's doing the judgin'," says I. "This Dempsey's no
newcomer, you know. Anyway, now you can go home to dinner with Mother."

"But I can't," says Vincent. "You see, I left word that I was dining in
town and she--she would want to know why I didn't."

"That's easy fixed," says I. "You're havin' dinner with me, out at my
Long Island shack. Haven't seen the large-sized family I'm startin',
have you? Well, here's your chance. And we can just make the 6:47."

Not that I'd planned it all out, but it was the best antidote to
Mirabelle that I could have thought up. For Vee is--Well, she's quite
different from Mirabelle. And I suspect after Vincent had watched her
playin' her star part as the fond little wife, and been led up to the
nursery to have the baby exhibited to him, and heard