When Jimmy gained courage to turn his eyes in the direction of the
family group he had helped to assemble, he was not reassured by the
reproachful glances that he met from Aggie and Zoie. It was apparent
that in their minds, he was again to blame for something. Realising that
they dared not openly reproach him before Alfred, he decided to make his
escape while his friend was still in the room. He reached for his hat
and tiptoed gingerly toward the door, but just as he was congratulating
himself upon his decision, Alfred called to him with a mysterious air.
"Jimmy," he said, "just a minute," and he nodded for Jimmy to approach.
It must have been Jimmy's guilty conscience that made him powerless
to disobey Alfred's every command. Anyway, he slunk back to the fond
parent's side, where he ultimately allowed himself to be inveigled into
swinging his new watch before the unattentive eyes of the red-faced
babes on Alfred's knees.
"Lower, Jimmy, lower," called Alfred as Jimmy absent-mindedly allowed
the watch to swing out of the prescribed orbit. "Look at the darlings,
Jimmy, look at them," he exclaimed as he gazed at the small creatures
admiringly.
"Yes, look at them, Jimmy," repeated Zoie, and she glared at Jimmy
behind Alfred's back.
"Don't you wish you had one of them, Jimmy?'" asked Alfred.
"Well, I wish he had," commented Zoie, and she wondered how she was
ever again to detach either of them from Alfred's breast.
Before she could form any plan, the telephone rang loud and
persistently. Jimmy glanced anxiously toward the women for instructions.
"I'll answer it," said Aggie with suspicious alacrity, and she crossed
quickly toward the 'phone. The scattered bits of conversation that Zoie
was able to gather from Aggie's end of the wire did not tend to soothe
her over-excited nerves. As for Alfred, he was fortunately so engrossed
with the babies that he took little notice of what Aggie was saying.
"What woman?" asked Aggie into the 'phone. "Where's she from?" The
answer was evidently not reassuring. "Certainly not," exclaimed Aggie,
"don't let her come up; send her away. Mrs. Hardy can't see anyone at
all." Then followed a bit of pantomime between Zoie and Aggie, from
which it appeared that their troubles were multiplying, then Aggie again
gave her attention to the 'phone. "I don't know anything about her," she
fibbed, "that woman must have the wrong address." And with that she hung
up the receiver and came towards Alfred, anxious to get possession of
his two small charges and to get them from the room, lest the mother who
was apparently downstairs should thrust herself into their midst.