u, anyway.
It's like I said to you last night--if a fellow can't give you what
you're used to he'd better keep his hands off."

"A boy that's going to manage Loeb Brothers' new factory to talk like
that!"

Mr. Gump swung suddenly on his heel, came toward her, and took her
pliant hands in his. In the improvised caldron of their palms an
important chemical reaction suddenly effervesced and sent the blood
fizzing through their veins.

"Birdie," he began, "I'm not the kind of a fellow to go stringing a girl
along. I only wish I'd 'a' known what I know now sooner; but wishing
ain't going to help. I came up here to-night to tell--"

At the high tide of this remark the door opened and Birdie turned
reluctant eyes upon her parent. Mrs. Katzenstein, stately as a frigate
in low seas, hove in.

"How do you do, Mr. Gump? No; stay where you are. This is my favorite
rocker. Such weather, ain't it? I telephoned to Mr. Katzenstein twice
this afternoon to be sure and wear his rubbers home. You're looking
well, Mr. Gump. When you do well you feel well--ain't it?"

"That's right," he agreed, reseating himself. "I'm pretty tired from a
hard day; but work can't hurt anybody."

"Just like Mr. Katzenstein--ain't it, Birdie? Honest, sometimes I wish
there wasn't such a thing as a petticoat made. How that man works!
Believe me, I worry enough about it. He should make a few dollars less,
I tell him."

"You got a swell apartment here, Mrs. Katzenstein. Some cousins of my
poor father's--the Morris Jacobs--live in this same house."

"Are those Jacobs your cousins? Such grand people--the knit-underwear
Jacobs, Birdie! I never meet the old lady in the elevator that she
don't ask me to come up and see her. It's terrible the way I don't pay
calls. Birdie, we must go up soon."

"Yes, mamma."

"Yes, we got a nice little apartment here, Mr. Gump; but for what we pay
it might be better. If I didn't dread the _gedinks_ of moving we could
do better for the money; but we got comfort here, even if it ain't so
grand. Sometimes, on account of Birdie, I say we take a bigger place;
but who knows how long she is at home--not that we're in a hurry with
her, but you know how it is when a girl reaches a certain age."

"Yes, indeed," said Mr. Gump.

"I'm in no hurry," said Birdie.

"I don't say that, neither. When a girl meets the right one it's
different. Look at Ray--two hours before she was engaged she didn't know
it was going to happen!"

"Come