now!" protests Jane, tappin' me playful.

"Sorry," says I, "but this is a baby visit I'm payin'. Ask Uncle
Ferdinand if it ain't."

"Humph!" says Peggy. "Anyone can fool Uncle Ferdy."

"Besides," says Jane, "we saw a picture on Vee's dressing table, and
when we asked who it was she hid it. So there!"

"Not a picture of me, though," says I. "Couldn't be."

"Yes, it was," insists Jane.

"A snapshot of you," says Peggy, "taken in a boat."

I won't deny that was some cheerful bulletin; but somehow I had a hunch
it might be best not to let on too much. Course, I could locate the
time and place. I must have got on the film durin' my stay up at
Roarin' Rocks last summer.

"In a boat!" says I. "Of all things!"

"And Vee doesn't want anyone to know about it," adds Jane, "specially
her aunty."

"Why not?" comes in Peggy, lookin' me straight in the eye.

"Very curious!" says I, shakin' my head. "What else did Vee have to
say about me?"

"M-m-m-m!" says Peggy. "We can't tell."

"We promised not to," says Jane.

"You're a fine pair of promisers!" says I. "I expect you hold secrets
like a wire basket holds water."

"We never said a word, did we, Peggy?" demands Jane.

"Nope!" says Peggy. "Maybe he's the one Vee's aunty doesn't like."

"Are you?" says Jane, clawin' my shoulder excited.

"How utterly thrillin'!" says I. "Say, you're gettin' me all tittered
up. Think it's me Aunty has the war club out for, do you?"

"It's someone with hair just like yours, anyway," says Peggy.

"Think of that!" says I. "Does red hair throw Aunty into convulsions,
or what?"

"Aunt Marjorie says it's because you--that is, because the one she
meant isn't anybody," says Jane. "He's poor, and all that. Are you
poor?"

"Me?" says I. "Why--say, what is this you're tryin' to pull off on me,
impeachment proceedings? Come now, don't you guess your Aunt
Marjorie'll be wantin' you?"

"No," says Peggy. "She told us for goodness sake to run off and be
quiet."

"What about this Miss Vee party, then?" says I. "Don't she need you to
help her hook up?"

"We just came from her room," says Peggy.

"She pushed us out and locked the door," adds Jane.

"Great strategy!" says I. "Show me a door with a key in it."

"Pooh!" says Peggy. "You couldn't put us both out at once."

"Couldn't I?" says I. "Let's see."

With that I grabs one under each arm, and with the pair of 'em
strugglin' and squealin' and rough housin'