"Why--why, Freddy--now--you---" Bert could only flounder and look dismayed. "She ain't goin' off an' leave me!" wailed the child. "Now, lissen! Say, wait a minute! Lissen!" "But, Bert! Bert! She--" "Say, don't you wanna help Florette, now she's got this gran' bookin' an' all?" "Sure I do, Bert. I wanna he'p her with her quick changes like I useter." "You he'p her! Say, how would that look in all them swell places she's goin' to? W'y, she'll have a maid!" "Like the headliners, Bert?" "Sure!" "A coon, Bert?" "Sure! Like a li'l musical com'dy star." "Honest?" "Honest!" "But, Bert, w'y can't I go, too?" "Aw, now, say--w'y--w'y, you're too big!" "What-ta y' mean, Bert?" "W'y, kid, you talk's if you never bin in the p'fession. How ole does Miss Le Fay look? Nineteen, tha's all. But with a great big boy like you taggin' on--W'y, say, you'd queer her with them English managers right off. You don' wanna do that now, Freddy?" "No, but I--" "I knew you'd take it sensible. You always bin a lot of help to Florette." "Did she tell you, Bert?" "Sure!" "A' right. I'll stay. When--when's she comin' to tell me goo'-by?" "Why--why--look-a-here. Brace up, ole man. She had to leave a'ready." "She's gone?" "Say, you don' think bookin' like that can wait, do you? It was take it or leave it--quick. You didn't wan' her to throw away a chancet like that, huh, Freddy? Huh?" Freddy's head sank on his chest. His hands fell limp. "A' right," he murmured without looking up. The big man bent over the child clumsily and tried to raise his quivering chin. "Aw, now, Freddy," he coaxed, "wanna come out with me an'--an' have a soda?" Freddy shook his head. "Buy ya some candy, too. Choc'late drops! An' how about one o' them li'l airyplane toys I seen in the window down the street? Huh? Or some marbles? Huh? Freddy, le's go buy out this here dinky li'l ole town. What-ta ya say, huh? Le's paint this li'l ole town red! What-ta ya say, sport?" Freddy managed a feeble smile. "How come you so flush, Brudder Johnsing?" he asked in what he considered an imitation of darky talk. "Mus' 'a' bin rollin' dem bones!" "Tha's a boy!" shouted Bert with a great guffaw. "There's a comeback for you! Game! Tha's what I always liked about you, Freddy. You was always game." "I wanna be game!" said Freddy, stiffening his lips. "You tell Florette. You write to her I was game. Will ya, Bert?" A bell rang. "Aw, I gotta go dress for supper, Bert. They dress up for supper here." "A' right, kid. Then I'll be goin'----" "Goo'-by, Bert. You tell her, Bert." "So long, kid." "Will ya tell her I was game, Bert?" "Aw, she'll know!"