"Charley's married, and he wants to see me married, too."

"And you don't like girls?"

"Listen, you made that drawing, too, and all the other stuff?"

"Yes."

An idea raised its pretty head. "Listen, I've decided to be very angry
about this. You've made a fool of me, and I'm not going to let you get
away with it. Now, I know a place that's quiet, and has very good
steaks; I'm going to take you to supper and bawl you out. Better get
into street-clothes, and don't take all night."

"Sorry, I couldn't possibly. Some other time, perhaps."

"Tonight. Now. Get going."

"No. I have a date."

"Break it!"

"No! You may be my boss, and I may be a forward hussy, but tonight I'm
going home, and you can't stop me!"

How silly could you get? Suddenly he understood the way of a man with
a maid; love was older than conversation, and they both saw and
understood through and beyond any silly words. In fact, the sillier
the words, the better!

"That's what you think! You're going with me, or you're going to jail.
They'll put you in a dark cell with the rats. They have their own
specially-bred rats, you know." He leered, slyly.

"You wouldn't dare!"

He shrugged, elaborately, and turned to the phone. She darted past him
to the door and he caught her, pulled her back out of the hall. She
was surprisingly strong and determined, and she ducked when he kissed
her.

"That one was a mess, wasn't it?" he complained.

She relaxed and began to laugh, and he joined her. She looked into his
eyes a long moment, and pulled his head down, kissed him tenderly.
"You don't give a girl much choice--one big rat or a lot of little
ones."

"I'll give you no choice at all. I'll teach you to play tricks on me!
Hurry up and change."

"One of the girls keeps a semi-formal in her locker. I can borrow it
and we could go dancing."

"I don't dance. Never learned. Couldn't we just talk?"

"We could, but we won't; you'll never learn any younger. You seem
light enough on your feet. Come on, it'll be fun!"

"Tonight I can do anything! You take too long to change, and I'll tear
the building down brick by brick with my bare hands, hear me?"

"No, please don't! I'll hurry, I promise!"

He waited impatiently at the door of the locker room. Now that he knew
how to talk to a girl, he wanted to talk, and talk, and talk some
more. He planned extravagant things to say when she came out, but when
she appeared, smiling, he was struck dumb. She took his