“Then he won’t budge a single inch!” I replied.

“Ezra?”

“Darling!”

“Suppose I just signed the telegram Van Coon?”

“The very thing!”

“If he misunderstood it—­I mean if he thought it really came from Eleanor—­there couldn’t be any fuss about it afterward, could there?”

“And, of course, you’ll send the official invitation from Mrs. Matthewman besides?”

“For Saturday?”

“Yes, Saturday!”

“And you’ll come?”

“Just watch me!”

“Ezra, are you happy?”

“That depends on Jones.”

“Oh, isn’t it exciting?”

“I have the ring in my pocket—­”

“But touch wood, won’t you?”

“Freddy?”

“Yes—­”

“What’s the matter with getting some for-get-me-nots and mailing them to Jones in an envelope?”

“All right, I’ll attend to it.  Eighteen ninety-two Eighth Avenue, isn’t it?”

“Be sure it is forget-me-nots, you know.  Don’t mix up the language of flowers, and send him one that says:  ’I’m off with a handsomer man,’ or,’ You needn’t come round any more!’”

“Oh, Ezra, Eleanor is really getting quite worked up!”

“So am I!”

“Wouldn’t it be perfectly splendid if—­Switch off quick, here’s aunt coming!”

“Mayn’t I even say I love you?”

“I daren’t say it back, Ezra—­she’s calling.”

“But do you?”

“Yes, unfortunately—­”

“Why unfortun—?”

Buzz-buzz-swizzleum-bux-bux!—­Aunt had cut us off.  However, short as my little talk with Freddy had been, it brightened my whole day.

Late the same afternoon, I went back to Doctor Jones.  I was prepared to find him uplifted, but I hadn’t counted on his being maudlin.  The fellow was drunk, positively drunk—­with happiness.  His tongue ran on like a mill-stream.  I had to sit down and have the whole Pullman-car episode inflicted on me a second time.  I was shown the receipt-slip.  I was shown the telegram from Eleanor.  I was shown with a whoop the forget-me-nots!  Then he was going on Saturday?  I asked.  He said he guessed it would take an earthquake to keep him away, and a pretty big earthquake, too! . . .  Oh, it was a great moment, and all the greater because I was tremendously worked up, too.  I saw Freddy floating before me, my sweet, girlish, darling Freddy, holding out her arms while Jones gassed and gassed and gassed.

I left him taking phenacetin for his headache.

III