of business.

Too bad, though, that Congress can't spare the time from botherin' about
interlockin' directors to suppress a few padlockin' aunties. Say, the
way that old girl does keep the bars up against an inoffensive party
like me is something fierce! I tries to call Vee on the 'phone as soon
as I've discovered where she is, and all the satisfaction I get is a
message delivered by a French maid that "Miss Hemmingway is otherwise
engaged." Wouldn't that crust you?

But I've been up against this embargo game before, you know; so the
first chance I gets I slips uptown to do a little scoutin' at close
range. It's an apartment hotel this time, and I hangs around the
entrance, inspectin' the bay trees out front for half an hour, before I
can work up the nerve to make the Brodie break. Fin'lly I marches in
bold and calls for Aunty herself.

"Is she in, Cephas?" says I to the brunette Jamaican in the olive-green
liv'ry who juggles the elevator.

"I don't rightly know, Suh," says he; "but you can send up a call, Suh,
from the desk there, and----"

"Ah, let's not disturb the operator," says I. "Give a guess."

"I'm thinking she'll be taking her drive, Suh," says Cephas, blinkin'
stupid.

"Then I'll have to go up and wait," says I. "She'd be mighty sore on us
both if she missed me. Up, Cephas!"

"Yes, Suh," says he, pullin' the lever.

I should have known, though, from one look at that to-let expression of
his, that his ideas on any subject would be vague. And this was a bum
hunch on Aunty. Out? Why, she was propped up in an easy-chair with a
sprained ankle, and had been for three days! And you should have seen
the tight-lipped, welcome-to-our-grand-jury-room smile that she greets
me with.

"Humph!" she says. "You! Well, young man, what is your excuse this
time?"

I grins sheepish and shuffles my feet. "Same old excuse," says I.

"Do you mean to tell me," she gasps, "that you have the impudence to try
to see my niece, after all I have----"

"Uh-huh," I breaks in. "Don't you ever take a sportin' chance yourself?"

She gurgles somethin' throaty, goes purple in the gills, and prepares to
smear me on the spot; but I gives her the straight look between the
eyes and hurries on.

"Oh, I know where you stand, all right," says I; "but ain't you drawin'
it a little strong? Say, where's the harm in me takin' Verona out for a
half-hour walk along the Drive? We ain't had a chat for over two months,
you know, not a word,