sewing.
Her eyes widened with surprise when she saw who the visitor was, and
she put a finger to her lip and pointed to the sleeper. And, as we have
to record another of the long list of Steve's failures to propose we
may say here, in excuse, that this reception took a great deal of the
edge off the dashing resolution which had been his up to that moment.
It made him feel self-conscious from the start.
'Whatever brings you up here, Steve?' whispered Mamie.
It was not a very tactful remark, perhaps, considering that Steve was
the child's godfather, and, as such, might reasonably expect to be
allowed a free pass to his nursery; but Mamie, like Keggs, had fallen
so under the domination of Lora Delane Porter that she had grown to
consider it almost a natural law that no one came to see Bill unless
approved of and personally conducted by her.
Steve did not answer. He was gaping at the fittings of the place in
which he found himself. It was precisely as Keggs had described it,
white tiles and all.
He was roused from his reflections by the approach of Mamie, or,
rather, not so much by her approach as by the fact that at this moment
she suddenly squirted something at him. It was cold and wet and hit him
in the face before, as he put it to Keggs later, he could get his guard
up.
'For the love of......'
'Sh!' said Mamie warningly.
'What's the idea? What are you handing me?'
'I've got to. It's to sterilize you. I do it to every one.'
'Gee! You've got a swell job! Well, go to it, then. Shoot! I'm ready.'
'It's boric acid,' explained Mamie.
'I shouldn't wonder. Is this all part of the Porter circus?'
'Yes.'
'Where is she?' inquired Steve in sudden alarm. 'Is she likely to butt
in?'
'No. She's out.'
'Good,' said Steve, and sat down, relieved, to resume his inspection of
the room.
When he had finished he drew a deep breath.
'Well!' he said softly. 'Say, Mamie, what do you think about it?'
'I'm not paid to think about it, Steve.'
'That means you agree with me that it's the punkest state of things you
ever struck. Well, you're quite right. It is. It's a shame to think of
that innocent kid having this sort of deal handed to him. Why, just
think of him at the studio!'
But Mamie, whatever her private views, was loyal to her employers. She
refused to be drawn into a discussion on the subject.
'Have you been downstairs with Mr. Keggs, Steve?'
'Yes. It was him that told me about all this. Say, Mame, we ain't seen
much of each other lately.'
'No.'
'Mighty little.'
'Yes.'
