"I can hardly wait. By the way, I blew myself to a few glad rags," said Dink, bringing out his purchases, "I rather fancy them. How do they strike you?"
McCarthy emitted a languishing whistle and then his eyes fell on the cause of all the trouble.
"Keeroogalum! Where did you get the pea-soup?"
The expression did not please. However, Stover had still in the matter of his sentimental inclinations a certain bashfulness. So he said dishonestly:
"Rats. Wait and see," said Dink, who seized the excuse to don the green shirt.
When Stover's blond locks were seen struggling through the collar McCarthy exploded:
"It looks like you were coming out of a tree. What the deuce has happened to you? Are you going out for class beauty? Holy cats! the socks, the socks!"
"The socks, you Reuben, should match the shirt," said Stover, completing his toilet under a diplomatic assumption of persiflage.
"Well, you are a lovely thing," said McCarthy, when the new collar and the selected necktie had transformed Stover. "Lovely! lovely! you should go out and have the girls fondle you."
At this moment Bob Story arrived, as fate would have it, with an invitation to dinner at his home.
"Sis is back with a few charmers from Farmington and they're crazy to meet you."
"Oh, I say," said Stover in sudden alarm. "I'm the limit on the fussing question."
"Yes, he is," said McCarthy maliciously. "Why, they fall down before him and beg him to step on them."
"You shut up," said Stover, with wrath in his eye.
"Why, Bob, look at him, isn't he gotten up just to charm and delight? You'll have to put a fence around him to keep them off."
"In an hour," said Story, making for the door. "Hunter and Hungerford are coming."
"There's a Miss Sparkes--just crazy about you. You're in luck. Remember the name--Miss Sparkes."
"I can't go--I won't--" But here Dink, leaning over the banister, heard a gleeful laugh float up and the sudden banging of the door.
He rushed back frantically to the room and craned out the window, to see Bob Story sliding around the corner with his fingers spread in a gesture that is never anything but insulting. He closed the window violently and returned to the center of the room.
"Pooh!" said McCarthy, chuckling with delight.