Like a flash Freddy’s face cleared.

“What about, Bert?  Good news about what?”

“Why—­ah—­why, the ac’s goin’ big, like I tole you.  An’—­an’ say, boy, out at one place—­out at K.C., it—­why, it stopped the show!”

“Stopped the show!” breathed Freddy in awe.  “Oh, Bert, we never done that before!”

“An’ so—­so she—­ah, Florette—­y’see, kid, account of the ac’ goin’ so big, why, she—­has to—­go away—­for a little while.”

“Go away, Bert!  Where?”

“To—­to—­Englund, an’—­Australia.”

“To Englund, an’—­Australia?”

“Yeah, they booked her up ‘count o’ the ac’ goin’ so great.”

“Oh, Bert!”

“Yeah.  An’ lissen.  She’s booked for fifty-two weeks solid!”

“Fifty-two weeks!  Oh, Bert, that ain’t never happened to us before!”

“I know.  It’s—­great!”

Bert blew out his breath loudly, mopped his forehead.  He could look at
Freddy now, and he saw a face all aglow with love and pride.

“When she comin’ to get me, Bert?” the child asked confidently.

“Why—­why, Freddy—­now—­you—–­”

Bert could only flounder and look dismayed.

“She ain’t goin’ off an’ leave me!” wailed the child.

“Now, lissen!  Say, wait a minute!  Lissen!”

“But, Bert!  Bert!  She—­”

“Say, don’t you wanna help Florette, now she’s got this gran’ bookin’ an’ all?”

“Sure I do, Bert.  I wanna he’p her with her quick changes like I useter.”

“You he’p her!  Say, how would that look in all them swell places she’s goin’ to?  W’y, she’ll have a maid!”

“Like the headliners, Bert?”

“Sure!”

“A coon, Bert?”

“Sure!  Like a li’l musical com’dy star.”

“Honest?”

“Honest!”

“But, Bert, w’y can’t I go, too?”

“Aw, now, say—­w’y—­w’y, you’re too big!”

“What-ta y’ mean, Bert?”

“W’y, kid, you talk’s if you never bin in the p’fession.  How ole does Miss Le Fay look?  Nineteen, tha’s all.  But with a great big boy like you taggin’ on—­W’y, say, you’d queer her with them English managers right off.  You don’ wanna do that now, Freddy?”

“No, but I—­”

“I knew you’d take it sensible.  You always bin a lot of help to Florette.”

“Did she tell you, Bert?”

“Sure!”

“A’ right.  I’ll stay.  When—­when’s she comin’ to tell me goo’-by?”

“Why—­why—­look-a-here.  Brace up, ole man.  She had to leave a’ready.”

“She’s gone?”

“Say, you don’ think bookin’ like that can wait, do you?  It was take it or leave it—­quick.  You didn’t wan’ her to throw away a chancet like that, huh, Freddy?  Huh?”

Freddy’s head sank on his chest.  His hands fell limp.  “A’ right,” he murmured without looking up.

The big man bent over the child clumsily and tried to raise his quivering chin.