“It was swell of old Higgins to give us this half-Saturday.  It shows where you stood with the management, Gert—­this and a five-dollar gold piece.  Lord knows they wouldn’t pony up that way if it was me getting married by myself.”

“It’s because my boy ’ain’t shown them down there yet the best that’s in him.  You just watch his little safety-first wife see to it that from now on he keeps up her record of never in seven years punching the time-clock even one minute late, and that he keeps his stock shelves O. K. and shows his department he’s a comer-on.”

“With that bunch of boobs a fellow’s got a swell chance to get anywheres.”

“It’s getting late, Jimmie.  It don’t look nice for us to stay here so late alone, not till—­to-morrow.  Ruby and Essie and Charley are going to meet us in the minister’s back parlor at ten sharp in the morning.  We can be back here by noon and get the place cleared enough to give ’em a little lunch—­just a fun lunch without fixings.”

“I hope the old guy don’t waste no time splicing us.  It’s one of the things a fellow likes to have over with.”

“Jimmie!  Why, it’s the most beautiful thing in the world, like a garden of lilies or—­or something, a marriage ceremony is!  You got the ring safe, honey-bee, and the license?”

“Pinned in my pocket where you put ’em, Flirty Gertie.”

“Flirty Gertie!  Now you’ll begin teasing me with that all our life—­the way I didn’t slap your face that night when I should have.  I just couldn’t have, honey.  Goes to show we were just cut and dried for each other, don’t it?  Me, a girl that never in her life let a fellow even bat his eyes at her without an introduction.  But that night when you winked, honey—­something inside of me just winked back.”

“My girl!”

“You mean it, boy?  You ain’t sorry about nothing, Jimmie?”

“Sorry?  Well, I guess not!”

“You saw the way—­she—­May—­you saw for yourself what she was, when we saw her walking, that next night after Ceiner’s, nearly staggering, up Sixth Avenue with Budge Evans.”

“I never took any stock in her, honey.  I was just letting her like me.”

She sat back on the box edge, regarding him, her face so soft and wont to smile that she could not keep her composure.

“Get me my hat and coat, honey.  We’ll walk down.  Got the key?”

They skirmished in the gloom, moving through slit-like aisles of furniture and packing-box.

“Ouch!”

“Oh, the running water is hot, Jimmie, just like the ad said!  We got red-hot running water in our flat.  Close the front windows, honey.  We don’t want it to rain in on our new green sofa.  Not ’til it’s paid for, anyways.”

“Hurry.”

“I’m ready.”

They met at the door, kissing on the inside and the outside of it; at the head of the fourth, third, and the second balustrade down.

“We’ll always make ’em little love landings, Jimmie, so we can’t ever get tired climbing them.”