"Here they are," she said graciously, then stopped in amazement at sight
of the horrified Alfred, clasping a third infant to his breast.
"Good God!" exclaimed Alfred, stroking his forehead with his unoccupied
hand, and gazing at what he firmly believed must be an apparition,
"THOSE aren't MINE," he pointed to the two red mites in Aggie's arms.
"Wh--why not, Alfred?" stammered Aggie for the want of something better
to say.
"What?" shrieked Alfred. Then he turned in appeal to his young wife,
whose face had now become utterly expressionless. "Zoie?" he entreated.
There was an instant's pause, then the blood returned to Zoie's face and
she proved herself the artist that Alfred had once declared her.
"OURS, dear," she murmured softly, with a bashful droop of her lids.
"But THIS one?" persisted Alfred, pointing to the baby in his arms, and
feeling sure that his mind was about to give way.
"Why--why--why," stuttered Zoie, "THAT'S the JOKE."
"The joke?" echoed Alfred, looking as though he found it anything but
such.
"Yes," added Aggie, sharing Zoie's desperation to get out of their
temporary difficulty, no matter at what cost in the future. "Didn't
Jimmy tell you?"
"Tell me WHAT?" stammered Alfred, "what IS there to tell?"
"Why, you see," said Aggie, growing more enthusiastic with each
elaboration of Zoie's lie, "we didn't dare to break it to you too
suddenly."
"Break it to me?" gasped Alfred; a new light was beginning to dawn on
his face.
"So," concluded Zoie, now thoroughly at home in the new situation, "we
asked Jimmy to take THAT one OUT."
Jimmy cast an inscrutable glance in Zoie's direction. Was it possible
that she was at last assisting him out of a difficulty?
"You 'ASKED Jimmy'?" repeated Alfred.
"Yes," confirmed Aggie, with easy confidence, "we wanted you to get used
to the idea gradually."
"The idea," echoed Alfred. He was afraid to allow his mind to accept
too suddenly the whole significance of their disclosure, lest his joy
over-power him. "You--you--do--don't mean----" he stuttered.
"Yes, dear," sighed Zoie, with the face of an angel, and then with a
languid sigh, she sank back contentedly on her pillows.
"My boys! My boys!" cried Alfred, now delirious with delight. "Give
them to me," he called to Aggie, and he snatched the surprised infants
savagely from her arms. "Give me ALL of them, ALL of them." He clasped
the three babes to his breast, then dashed to the bedside of the
unsuspecting Zoie and covered her small face with rapturous kisses.