It would never do for Her to come out and see him talking there with them.
Quite naturally, as a matter of course, he swung in along-side the dark- eyed one and walked with her.

There was no awkwardness on his part, no numb tongue.

He was at home here, and he held his own royally in the badinage, bristling with slang and sharpness, that was always the preliminary to getting acquainted in these swift-moving affairs.

At the corner where the main stream of people flowed onward, he started to edge out into the cross street.

But the girl with the black eyes caught his arm, following him and dragging her companion after her, as she cried: "Hold on, Bill! What's yer rush?
You're not goin' to shake us so sudden as all that ?" He halted with a laugh, and turned, facing them.