Mrs. Heeny, being
unaware of this sequel to her bounties, formed the habit of appearing
regularly on Saturdays, and while she chatted with his grandmother the
little boy was encouraged to scatter the grimy carpet with face-creams
and bunches of clippings in his thrilling quest for the sweets at the
bottom of her bag.
"I declare, if he ain't in just as much of a hurry f'r everything as his
mother!" she exclaimed one day in her rich rolling voice; and stooping
to pick up a long strip of newspaper which Paul had flung aside she
added, as she smoothed it out: "I guess 'f he was a little mite older
he'd be better pleased with this 'n with the candy. It's the very thing
I was trying to find for you the other day, Mrs. Spragg," she went on,
holding the bit of paper at arm's length; and she began to read out,
with a loudness proportioned to the distance between her eyes and the
text:
"With two such sprinters as 'Pete' Van Degen and Dicky Bowles to set the
pace, it's no wonder the New York set in Paris has struck a livelier
gait than ever this spring. It's a high-pressure season and no mistake,
and no one lags behind less than the fascinating Mrs. Ralph Marvell,
who is to be seen daily and nightly in all the smartest restaurants and
naughtiest theatres, with so many devoted swains in attendance that the
rival beauties of both worlds are said to be making catty comments. But
then Mrs. Marvell's gowns are almost as good as her looks--and how can
you expect the other women to stand for such a monopoly?"
To escape the strain of these visits, Ralph once or twice tried the
experiment of leaving Paul with his grand-parents and calling for him in
the late afternoon; but one day, on re-entering the Malibran, he was met
by a small abashed figure clad in a kaleidoscopic tartan and a green
velvet cap with a silver thistle.
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