As for the doctor's ladies, Telson had never seen them, so they did not weigh particularly with him.
"Who else is going ?" he asked.
"Oh, I don't know yet," said Brown, rather grandly.

"I've one or two fellows in my mind." "Why don't you ask young Parson ?" suggested Telson, innocently.
"Parson?
he's not a schoolhouse kid." "I know he's not, but he and I are very chummy, you know.

I wouldn't mind coming if he went." "I'll see," said Brown, mightily, but secretly relieved to know of some one likely to come as his second "friend." "All right," said Telson.

"I've not promised, mind, if he can't come." "Oh, yes, you have!" replied Brown, severely, as he left the room.
In due time he found Parson and broached the subject to him.
Parson viewed the matter in very much the same light as Telson had.

He liked the "tuck-in" better than the company.
It never occurred to him it was odd that Brown should come all the way from the schoolhouse to invite him, a Parrett's junior, to his feast; nor did it occur to him either that the invitation put him under any obligation to his would-be host.
"I tell you what I'll do," said he, in a business-like manner, much as if Brown had asked him to clean out his study for him, "if you ask Telson to come too, I'm game." Brown half doubted whether these two allies had not been consulting together on the subject, so startling was the similarity of their conditions.
"Oh! Telson's coming," he said, in as offhand a way as he could.
"He is! Then I'm on, old man; rather!" exclaimed the delighted Parson.
"All right! Six-thirty, mind, and chokers!" said Brown, not a little relieved to have scraped up two friends for the festive occasion.