"I wonder how it would seem, talking to Louise again," says he. "Might be a little awkward at first," says I, "but----" "Do you know," he breaks in, "I believe I should like it. If you think she's good looking now, young man, you should have seen her at 19, at 22, or at 25. What an ass I was! And now I suppose she's like a full blown rose, perfect, exquisite?" "Oh, I don't mean she's any ravin' beauty," says I, hedgin'. "You don't, eh?" says he. "Well, I'd just like to see. You may tell her that I will----No, I'll 'phone her myself. Where is she?" And all the stallin' around I could do didn't jar him away from that idea. He seems to have forgotten all about this Mabel person who was going to sing. He wanted to call up Louise right away. And he did. So I don't have any chesty bulletin to hand Mr. Robert when I gets back. "Well?" says he. "Did you induce him to give the right answer?" "Almost," says I. "Had him panicky inside of three minutes." "And then?" asks Mr. Robert. "I overdid the act," says I. "Talked too much. He's coming." Mr. Robert shrugs his shoulders. "Serves Bruce right," says he. "I wonder, though, how Louise will take it." For a couple of days she took it hard. Just talking over the 'phone with Dick Harrington left her weak and nervous. Said she couldn't sleep all that night for thinking what it would be like to meet an ex-hubby that she hadn't seen for so long. She tried to picture how he would look, and how she would look to him. Then she braced up. "If I must go through it," she confides to Mrs. Robert, "I mean to look my best." Isn't that the female instinct for you? As a matter of fact I'd kind of thrown it into him a bit strong about what a stunner she was. Oh, kind of nice lookin', fair figure, and traces of a peaches and cream complexion. There was still quite a high voltage sparkle in the trustin' blue eyes and the cheek dimples was still doin' business. But she was carryin' more or less excess weight for her height and there was the beginnings of a double chin. Besides, she always dressed quiet and sort of matronly. From the remarks I heard Vee make, though, just before the weddin', I judge that Louise intended to go the limit. While she was outfittin' Polly with the snappiest stuff to be found in the Fifth Avenue shops she picked some for herself. I understand, too, that she was makin' reg'lar trips to a beauty parlor, and all that. "How foolish!" I says to Vee. "I hope when you get to be forty you won't try to buy your way back to 25. It simply can't be done." "Really?" says Vee, givin' me one of them quizzin' looks.