And such
graceful gestures with the shell-rimmed glasses, wavin' 'em the whole
length of the ribbon when he got real interested.

I don't think I ever saw Auntie come so near beamin' before. She seems
right at home, fieldin' that line of chat. And Vee, too, is more or
less under the spell. As for me, I'm on the outside lookin' in. I did
manage though, after doin' the dummy act for half an hour, to lead Vee
off to the window alcove and get in a few words.

[Illustration: "I don't think I ever saw Auntie come so near beamin'
before. She seems right at home, fieldin' that line of chat. And Vee,
too, is more or less under the spell."]

"Who's the professor?" says I.

"Why, he isn't a professor," says Vee.

"He's got the patter," says I. "Old friend of Auntie's, I take it?"

No, it wasn't quite that. Seems the late Mrs. Creighton had been a
chum of Auntie's 'way back when they was girls, and the fact had only
been discovered when Clyde and Auntie got together a few days before at
some studio tea doins'.

"About how late was the late Mrs. C. C.?" says I.

"Oh, he has been a widower for several years, I think," says Vee.
"Poor man! Isn't he distinguished-looking?"

"Ye-e-es," says I. "A bit stagey."

"How absurd!" says she. "Isn't it fascinating to hear him talk?"

"Reg'lar paralyzin'," says I. "I was gettin' numb from the knees down."

"Silly!" says Vee, givin' me a reprovin' pat. "Do be quiet; he is
telling Auntie about his wife now."

Yep, he was. Doin' it beautiful too, sayin' what a lovely character
she had, how congenial they was, and what an inspiration she'd been to
him in his career.

"Indeed," he goes on, "if it had not been for the gentle influence of
my beloved Alicia, I should not be what I am to-day."

"Say," I whispers, nudgin' Vee, "what is he to-day?"

"Why," says she, "why--er--I don't quite know. He collects antiques,
for one thing."

"Does he?" says I. "Then maybe he's after Auntie."

First off Vee snickers, after which she lets on to be peeved and
proceeds to rumple my hair. Clyde catches her at it too, and looks
sort of pained. But Auntie's too much interested in the reminiscences
to notice. Yes, there's no discountin' the fact that the old girl was
fallin' for him hard.

Not that we thought much about it at that time. But later on, when I
finds he's been droppin' in for tea, been there for dinner Saturday,
and has beat me to it again Sunday evenin', I begins to