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Alfred was becoming more and more restive under the seeming absurdity of their persistent opposition, but before he could think of a polite way of over-ruling them, Aggie continued persuasively. "You stay with Zoie," she said. "I'll bring the boys in here and you can both have a look at them." "But Aggie," argued Alfred, puzzled by her illogical behaviour, "would it be wise to wake them?"
"It couldn't be Alfred, could it?" asked Zoie with mingled hope and dread. "Of course not," answered Aggie, as she removed the receiver from the hook. "Alfred wouldn't 'phone, he would come right up." Discovering that it was merely Jimmy "on the wire," Zoie's uneasiness abated, but Aggie's anxiety was visibly increasing. "Where ARE you?" she asked of her spouse.
But his reflections were quickly upset when Alfred called from the next room, to inquire again about Baby. "Alfred's here!" whispered Jimmy, beginning to realise the meaning of the women's mysterious behaviour. "Sh! sh!" said Aggie again to Jimmy, and Zoie flew toward the bed, almost vaulting over the footboard in her hurry to get beneath the covers.
No sooner had Aggie arrived at her decision than Zoie upset her tranquillity by a triumphant expression of "I have it." Jimmy and Aggie gazed at Zoie's radiant face in consternation. They were accustomed to see only reproach there. Her sudden enthusiasm increased Jimmy's uneasiness. "YOU have it," he grunted without attempting to conceal his disgust. "SHE'S the one who generally has it."
Disappearing from view for an instant, she soon reappeared with Alfred's favourite clothes-brush. She tiptoed into the room. Barely had Alfred drawn his coat on his shoulders, when he was startled by a quick little flutter of the brush on his sleeve. He turned in surprise and beheld Zoie, who looked up at him as penitent and irresistible as a newly-punished child.
"What's that?" questioned Jimmy, wondering how Alfred could confine himself to any "ONE thing." "He says I'm a liar!" shrieked Zoie tearfully. "Well, aren't you?" asked Jimmy. "Of course I am," declared Zoie; "but why shouldn't I be?" She looked at Jimmy with such an air of self-approval that for the life of him he could find no reason to offer. "You know how jealous Alfred is," she continued.
Again Alfred picked at the lint on his coat sleeve. Edging her way toward him cautiously she ventured to touch his sleeve with the brush. "I'll attend to that myself," he said curtly, and he sank into the nearest chair to tie a refractory shoe lace. "Let me brush you, dear," pleaded Zoie. "I don't wish you to start out in the world looking unbrushed," she pouted.
Turning away from Aggie with an impatient exclamation, Zoie suddenly beheld what seemed to her a large pink monster with protruding claws wriggling its way hurriedly toward the inner room. "Look!" she screamed, and pointing in horror toward the dreadful creature now dragging itself across the threshold, she sank fainting into Aggie's outstretched arms.
Jimmy looked at him blankly. "I am going to propose to her this very night." "Good Lord!" groaned Jimmy, as if his friend had been suddenly struck down in the flower of his youth. "That's why you simply must come with me to the hop," continued Alfred. "I want you to take care of her friend Aggie, and leave me alone with Zoie as much as possible." "Zoie!" sniffed Jimmy.
"Who is she?" answered Zoie, trying to gain time for a new inspiration. "Why, she's she's " her face lit up with satisfaction the idea had arrived. "She's the nurse," she concluded emphatically. "The nurse?" repeated Alfred, a bit confused. "Yes," answered Zoie, pretending to be annoyed with his dull memory. "She's the one I told you about, the one I had to discharge."
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