all right. Don't you remember, we had this
appointment? Come, dear."

"No, you don't! That's a man following. Shh-h-h-h, Louis. I was fooling.
I went up to him (snicker) and I said to him, 'Give you five dollars for
a doctor's certificate.' That's all I said to him, or any of them. He's
in a white carnation, Louis. You can find him by the--it's on his coat
lapel. He's coming! Quick--"

"Mama, there's no one following. Wait, I'll call a taxi!"

"No, you don't! He tried to put me in a taxi, too. No, you don't!"

"Then the subway, dearest. You'll sit quietly beside Alma in the subway,
won't you, Carrie. Alma's so tired."

Suddenly Carrie began to whimper.

"My baby! Don't let her see me. My baby. What am I good for? I've ruined
her life. My precious sweetheart's life. I hit her once--Louis--in the
mouth. God won't forgive me for that."

"Yes, He will, dear, if you come."

"It bled. Alma, tell him mama lost her doctor's certificate. That's all
I said to him--give you five dollars for a doctor's certificate--he had
a white carnation--right lapel--stingy! Quick! He's following!"

"Sweetheart, please, there's no one coming."

"Don't tell! Oh, Alma darling--mama's ruined your life. Her sweetheart
baby's life."

"No, darling, you haven't. She loves you if you'll come home with her,
dear, to bed, before Louis gets home and--"

"No. No. He mustn't see. Never this bad--was I, darling--oh--oh--"

"No, mama--never--this bad. That's why we must hurry."

"Best man that ever lived. Best baby. Ruin. Ruin."

"Mama, you--you're making Alma tremble so that she can scarcely walk if
you drag her back so. There's no one following, dear. I won't let any
one harm you. Please, sweetheart--a taxicab."

"No. I tell you he's following. He tried to put me into a taxicab."

"Then mama, listen. Do you hear! Alma wants you to listen. If you
don't--she'll faint. People are looking. Now I want you to turn square
around and look. No, look again. You see now, there's no one following.
Now, I want you to cross the street over there to the subway. Just with
Alma, who loves you. There's nobody following. Just with Alma who loves
you."

And then Carrie, whose lace hat was crazily on the back of her head,
relaxed enough so that through the enormous maze of the traffic of
trucks and the heavier drags of the lower city, she and her daughter
could wind their way.

"My baby. My poor Louis," she kept saying. "The worst I've ever been.
Oh--Alm