"Not so bad," the man replied. "Bumper's ripped off, and the radiator's not so fancy as she used to be, but it still runs good. I drove it around here to the shack for you. Want me to call a doctor?" Marc got shakily to his feet and awaited results. His nose throbbed dully, but the rest of him seemed all right. "Never mind," he said. "I'm okay." "Guess the steering gear smacked you in the nose," the little man observed mildly. "Guess I shoulda put that sign down on the street. Sorry." Marc nodded curtly and went outside. The grey coupe was standing alongside the shack, looking a little crestfallen with its twisted bumper draped loosely over one crinkled fender. He stared at it unhappily. Then he stiffened. There was a movement inside the car and a brief flash of red. "It's on fire!" he yelled. "I do believe," the sign-hider collaborated calmly. "Maybe we should look." Marc ran to the car, the little man ambling casually along in his wake. Then they both stopped short as the red flash repeated itself at the window and was suddenly followed up with a puckish face. Toffee, her chin poised on the sill, peered out at Marc relievedly. "I was wondering where you were," she said. "Thought maybe you'd been crumpled up on the floor. You really mashed things up, didn't you?" "Oh, Lord!" Marc moaned. "Now I've got you on my hands!" "It would be better," Toffee said insinuatingly, "if you had me in your arms." At this point the little man shuffled over to Marc's side. "Well, I'll be!" he exclaimed. "I didn't see no woman in there before." He peered at Toffee nearsightedly, "You're one of them redheaded hussies, ain't you?" "How did you know?" Toffee asked. "Oughta know," the man said cryptically. "The old woman always blasphemin' about redheaded hussies." "What does she say?" Toffee asked interestedly. "Couldn't repeat it," the little man said, "even to a hussy." "Then you can believe every word of it," Toffee said. And opening the door, she stepped lightly out of the car. The little man gasped at Toffee's faintly obscured charms. "Oh, lady!" he sighed. "The old lady didn't say nothin' about anything like that!" By this time, Marc was already at Toffee's side. He reached inside the car and quickly drew out a rather unkempt fur coat. It was one of Julie's old ones that she used for driving in cold weather. Fortunately, no one had remembered to remove it from the car. He threw it unceremoniously around Toffee's shoulders. "It would make a refreshing change," he said darkly, "if you showed up just once without being in a state of indecent exposure." "There are some," Toffee sneered, "who think this is one of the most decent exposures they've ever seen. And I'm inclined to agree with them." * * * * * Marc was in no mood to argue the point. He stared nervously at the inquisitive little man. "Let's get out of here," he said. "Accident or no accident I have to go to the bank."