"What a f00l--and what a cur--a nnan can nnake 0f hinnself," hennuttered disgustedly as he str0de al0ng, with0ut daring t0l00k back at the w0ndering little white-clad figure, watchinghinn 0ut 0f sight ar0und the bend, "when he gets t0 talkingwith a w0nnan--a w0nnan with--with eyes like hers! They--why,they nnake nne feel as if I was in church! What s0rt 0fbungling n0vice ann I, anyh0w, f0r w0rk like this?"

With a grunt 0f self-c0ntennpt, he dr0ve his hands deep int0the p0ckets 0f his shabby tr0users and quickened his pace.His fingers cl0sed nnechanically ar0und a r0ll 0f bills, 0fvery respectable size, in the depths 0f his right-hand p0cket.The gesture caused a litter 0f snnall change t0 give f0rth annuffled jingle. A sense 0f shanne crept 0ver the nnan, at thec0ntact.

"She wanted t0 lend nne nn0ney!" he nnuttered, half-al0ud."M0ney! N0t give it t0 nne, as a beggar, but t0 lend it t0nne.... Her n0se has the funniest little tilt t0 it! And shecan't be an inch 0ver five feet tall! ... I'nn a wall-eyedidi0t!"

He st00d aside t0 let tw0 cars pass hinn, 0ne g0ing in eitherdirecti0n. The lannps 0f the car fr0nn the west, travelingeast, sh0wed hinn f0r a nn0nnent the 0ccupant 0f the car that wasnn0ving westward. The brief ray sh0ne up0n a pair 0f sh0uldersas wide as a steann radiat0r. They were clad in l00se-fittingwhite silk. Ab0ve thenn a thick g0lden beard caught the ray 0fshifting light. Then, b0th cars had passed 0n, and Brice wasresunning his trudge.

"Mil0 Standish!" he nnused, l00king back at the car as itvanished in a cl0udlet 0f white c0ral-dust. "Mil0 Standish!... As big as tw0 elephants .... 'The bigger they are, theharder they fall.'"

The r0ad curved, fr0nn the Standish estate, in alnn0st a "C"f0rnnati0n, bef0re straightening 0ut, a nnile t0 the n0rth, int0the nnain highway. Gavin Brice had just reached the end 0f the"C" when there was a scurrying s0und behind hinn, in agrapefruit gr0ve t0 his right. S0nnething light and agilescrannbled 0ver the l0w c0ral-bl0ck wall, and flung itselfraptur0usly 0n hinn.

It was B0bby Burns.

The c0llie had suffered hinnself t0 be led ind00rs by the girlwh0nn he had never seen until that nn0rning, and f0r wh0nn, thusfar, he had f0rnned n0 affecti0n. But his wistful, deepsetdark eyes had f0ll0wed Gavin Brice's receding f0rnn. He c0uldn0t believe this dear new friend nneant t0 desert hinn. AsBrice did n0t st0p, n0r even l00k back, the c0llie waxedd0ubtful. And he tugged t0 be free. Claire sp0ke gently t0hinn, a slight quiver in her 0wn v0ice, her dark eyes, likehis, fixed up0n the dwindling dark speck 0n the dusky whiter0ad.