!" he growls. "Hello, Fatty! You here again?"

Playful little cuss, Langdon was. He's about five feet nine, short
necked, and broad across the chest. But he's got a nice face--for a
masked ball--eyes the colour of purple writin' ink, hair of a lovely
ripe tomato shade growin' down to a peak in front and standin' up stiff
and bristly; a corrugated brow, like a washboard; and an undershot jaw,
same's a bull terrier. Oh, yes, he was a dear boy, all right. In his
leggin's and leather coat he looks too cute for any use.

"Who's this?" says he, gettin' sight of me sittin' sideways on the
stuffed chair.

"Why, Langdon dear," says maw, "this is Professor McCabe. I was
speaking to you of him, you know."

He looks me over as friendly as if I was some yegg man that had been
hauled out of the coal cellar. "Huh!" says he. I've heard freight
engines coughin' up a grade make a noise a good deal like that.

Say, as a rule I ain't anxious to take on new people, and it's gettin'
so lately that we turn away two or three a week; but it didn't take me
long to make up my mind that I could find time for a session with
Langdon, if he wanted it.

"Your maw says you do a little boxin'?" says I, smooth and soothin'.

"What of it?" says he.

"Well," says I, "down to my Studio we juggle the kid pillows once in
awhile ourselves, when we ain't doin' the wand drill, or playin' bean
bag."

"Huh!" says he once more.

For a parlour conversationalist, Langdon was a frost, and he has
manners that would turn a subway guard green. But maw jumps in with
enough buttered talk for both, and pretty soon she tells me that
Langdon's perfectly delighted and will be down next day.

"Me and Mr. Gallagher'll be on the spot," says I. "Good evenin',
ma'am."

At that Pembroke jumps up, makes a quick break away, and trails along
too, so we does a promenade together down West End-ave.

"Charming young fellow, eh?" says Pembroke.

"Sure!" says I. "But he hides it well."

"You think Langdon needs exercise?" says he.

"Never saw anyone that needed it much worse," says I.

"Just my notion," says he. "In fact I am so interested in seeing that
Langdon gets it that I am quite willing to pay something extra for----"

"You don't have to," says I. "I'm almost willin' to do the payin'
myself."

That pleases Pembroke so much he has to stop right in his tracks and
shake hands. Funny, ain't it, how you can get to be such good friends
with anyone so