Jimmy could not deny it.
"She'll be only too glad to rent it," declared Zoie, as she glanced
hurriedly through the note just written, and slipped it, together with
a bill, into an envelope. "I'll pay her anything. It's only until I can
get another one."
"Another!" shouted Jimmy, and his eyes turned heavenward for help. "An
endless chain with me to put the links together!"
"Don't be so theatrical," said Aggie, irritably, as she took up Jimmy's
coat and prepared to get him into it.
"Why DO you make such a fuss about NOTHING," sighed Zoie.
"Nothing?" echoed Jimmy, and he looked at her with wondering eyes.
"I crawl about like a thief in the night snatching babies from their
mother's breasts, and you call THAT nothing?"
"You don't have to 'CRAWL,'" reminded Zoie, "you can take a taxi."
"Here's your coat, dear," said Aggie graciously, as she endeavoured to
slip Jimmy's limp arms into the sleeves of the garment.
"You can take Maggie with you," said Zoie, with the air of conferring a
distinct favour upon him.
"And the wash on my lap," added Jimmy sarcastically.
"No," said Zoie, unruffled by Jimmy's ungracious behaviour. "We'll send
the wash later."
"That's very kind of you," sneered Jimmy, as he unconsciously allowed
his arms to slip into the sleeves of the coat Aggie was urging upon him.
"All you need to do," said Aggie complacently, "is to get us the baby."
"Yes," said Jimmy, "and what do you suppose my friends would say if they
were to see me riding around town with the wash-lady's daughter and a
baby on my lap? What would YOU say?" he asked Aggie, "if you didn't know
the facts?"
"Nobody's going to see you," answered Aggie impatiently; "it's only
around the corner. Go on, Jimmy, be a good boy."
"You mean a good thing," retorted Jimmy without budging from the spot.
"How ridiculous!" exclaimed Zoie; "it's as easy as can be."
"Yes, the FIRST one SOUNDED easy, too," said Jimmy.
"All you have to do," explained Zoie, trying to restrain her rising
intolerance of his stupidity, "is to give this note to Maggie's mother.
She'll give you her baby, you bring it back here, we'll give you THIS
one, and you can take it right back to the Home."