"Hollingworth!"
"What is it?" sung out that worthy. "Sun over the yard-arm yet? All
right. You know where to find it. No soda, though; you'll have to do
with selzogene. If you want `squareface' you must get the missis to dig
it out of the store. There's none out. Maitland and Harvey between
them got outside what there was yesterday."
"No, no; that's not what we want, though it'll come in directly,"
laughed Moseley. "Look here, Hollingworth"--the latter had drawn near
by this time--"Miss Commerell has found an old friend up here--Ames at
Sikumbutana--and she doesn't like to ask you to send a boy over to let
him know she's here."
"But, Mr Moseley, I didn't tell you to ask Mr Hollingworth," laughed
Nidia.
"Pooh! Why didn't you like to ask me, Miss Commerell? Of course I can
send over. Though--if it will be all the same to you, I'd rather send
to-morrow," Hollingworth added dubiously.
"Certainly it will. Thanks awfully. Are you sure it won't
inconvenience you?" said Nidia, in her most winning way.
"Not to-morrow. To-day, you see, I have two boys away. But I'll start
one off the first thing in the morning."
She reiterated her thanks; and Tarrant, keenly observant, said to
himself: "No; clearly I've no show. Damn Ames!"