"Why--why, yes, I guess she'd just as soon." He hesitated, then began coming down the ladder, adding, "I'll go for her." Bannon looked over his shoulder--Pete was clattering about among the dishes. "Max," he said, "hold on a minute." Max turned and came slowly back. Bannon had seated himself on the end of a table, and now he waited, looking down at the two rows of plates, and slowly turning a caster that stood at his elbow. What he finally said was not what Max was awaiting. "What are you going to do now, Max--when you're through on this job?" "Why--I don't know--" "Have you got anything ahead?" "Nothing sure. I was working for a firm of contractors up on the North Side, and I've been thinking maybe they'd take me back." "You've had some experience in building before now, haven't you?" Bannon was speaking deliberately, as if he were saying what he had thought out before. "Yes, a good deal. It's what I've mostly done since I quit the lumber business." "When Mr. MacBride was here," said Bannon, "he told me that we've got a contract for a new house at Indianapolis. It's going to be concrete, from the spiles up--there ain't anything like it in the country. I'm going down next week to take charge of the job, and if you'd like to go along as my assistant, I'll take you." Max did not know what to say. At first he grinned and blushed, thinking only that Bannon had been pleased with his work; then he grew serious. "Well," said Bannon, "what do you say?" Max still hesitated. At last he replied:-- "Can I have till tomorrow to think about it? I--you see, Hilda and I, we most always talk things over, and I don't exactly like to do anything without--" "Sure," said Bannon; "think it over if you like. There's no hurry up to the end of the week." He paused as if he meant to go on, but changed his mind and stood up. Max, too, was waiting, as if there were more to be said. "You two must think we've got all day to fix things." It was Pete calling from the other end of the room. "There ain't no loafing allowed here." Bannon smiled, and Max turned away. But after he had got a third of the way down the aisle, he came back. "Say, Mr. Bannon," he said, "I want to tell you that I--Hilda, she said-- she's told me something about things--and I want to--" It had been a lame conversation; now it broke down, and they stood through a long silence without speaking. Finally Max pulled himself together, and said in a low, nervous voice: "Say, it's all right. I guess you know what I'm thinking about. And I ain't got a word to say." Then he hurried out. When Max and Hilda came in, the restaurant man was setting up the paper napkin tents on the raised table at the end of the hall, and Pete stood by the door, looking upon his work with satisfaction. He did not see them until they were fairly in the room. "Hello," he said; "I didn't know you was coming, Miss Vogel." He swept his arm around. "Ain't it fine? Make you hungry to look at all them plates?"