But he didn't go away quietly, you may be sure. Mr. Marvin and Mr. Isham both escorted their famous client to the door, where the Marvin carriage had been ordered to be in readiness for Mr. Merrick's service.
But Uncle John waived it aside disdainfully.
"I'll walk," he said. "There are some other errands to attend to."
So they shook his hand and reminded him of a future appointment and let him go his way. In a moment the great Broadway crowd had swallowed up John Merrick, and five minutes later he was thoughtfully gazing into a shop window again.
By and bye he bethought himself of the time, and took a cab uptown. He had more than the twelve cents in his pocket, now, besides the check book which was carefully hidden away in an inside pocket; so the cost of the cab did not worry him. He dismissed the vehicle near an uptown corner and started to walk hastily toward Danny Reeves's restaurant, a block away, Patsy was standing in the doorway, anxiously watching for him.
"Oh, Uncle John," she cried, as he strolled "I've been really worried about you; it's such a big city, and you a stranger. Do you know you're ten minutes late?"
"I'm sorry," he said, humbly; "but it's a long way here from downtown."
"Didn't you take a car?"
"No, my dear."
"Why, you foolish old Uncle! Come in at once. The Major has been terribly excited over you, and swore you should not be allowed to wander through the streets without someone to look after you. But what could we do?"
"I'm all right," declared Uncle John, cordially shaking hands with
Patsy's father. "Have you had a good day?"
"Fine," said the Major. "They'd missed me at the office, and were glad to have me back. And what do you think? I've got a raise."
"Really?" said Uncle John, seeing it was expected of him.
"For a fact. It's Patsy's doing, I've no doubt. She wheedled the firm into giving me a vacation, and now they're to pay me twelve a week instead of ten."
"Is that enough?" asked Uncle John, doubtfully.
"More than enough, sir. I'm getting old, and can't earn as much as a younger man. But I'm pretty tough, and mean to hold onto that twelve a week as long as possible."
"What pay do you get, Patsy?" asked Uncle John.
"Almost as much as Daddy. We're dreadfully rich, Uncle John; so you needn't worry if you don't strike a job yourself all at once."
"Any luck today, sir," asked the Major, tucking a napkin under his chin and beginning on the soup.
Uncle John shook his head.
"Of course not," said Patsy, quickly. "It's too early, as yet. Don't hurry, Uncle John. Except that it'll keep you busy, there's no need for you to work at all."
"You're older than I am," suggested the Major, "and that makes it harder to break in. But there's no hurry, as Patsy says."
Uncle John did not seem to be worrying over his idleness. He kept on questioning his brother-in-law and his niece about their labors, and afterward related to them the sights he had seen in the shop windows. Of course he could not eat much after the feast he had had at luncheon, and this disturbed Patsy a little. She insisted he was tired, and carried her men away to the tenement rooms as soon as possible, where she installed them at the table to play cribbage until bed-time.
The next day Uncle John seemed to be busy enough, although of course Patsy could not know what he was doing. He visited a real-estate office, for one thing, and then telephoned Isham, Marvin & Co. and issued a string of orders in a voice not nearly so meek and mild as it was when he was in Patsy's presence. Whatever he had undertaken required time, for all during the week he left the tenement directly the Major and his daughter had gone to the city, and bustled about until it was time to meet them for dinner at the restaurant. But he was happy and in good spirits and enjoyed his evening game of cribbage with the Major exceedingly.
"You must be nearly bankrupt, by this time," said Patsy on Tuesday evening.
"It's an expensive city to live in," sighed Uncle John.
She gave him fifty cents of his money, then, and on Friday fifty cents more.
"After a time," she said, "you'll manage to get along with less. It's always harder to economize at first."
"How about the bills?" he inquired. "Don't I pay my share of them?"
"Your expenses are nothing at all," declared the Major, with a wave of his hand.
"But my dinners at Danny Reeves' place must cost a lot," protested
Uncle John.
"Surely not; Patsy has managed all that for a trifle, and the pleasure of your company more than repays us for the bit of expense."
On Saturday night there was a pint of red wine for the two men, and then the weekly cigars were brought—very inexpensive ones, to be sure. The first whiff he took made Uncle John cough; but the Major smoked so gracefully and with such evident pleasure that his brother-in-law clung manfully to the cigar, and succeeded in consuming it to the end.
"Tomorrow is the day of rest," announced Patsy, "so we'll all go for a nice walk in the parks after breakfast."
"And we sleep 'till eight o'clock, don't we, Patsy?" asked the Major.
"Of course."
"And the eggs for breakfast?"
"I've bought them already, three for a nickle. You don't care for more than one, do you, Uncle John?"
"No, my dear."
"It's our Sunday morning extra—an egg apiece. The Major is so fond of them."
"And so am I, Patsy."
"And now we'll have our cribbage and get to bed early. Heigho! but
Sunday's a great day for folks that work."
CHAPTER XXVI.
A BUNCH OF KEYS.
Uncle John did not sleep well. Perhaps he had a guilty conscience. Anyway, he tossed about a good deal on the sofa-bed in the living-room, and wore himself out to such an extent that when Patsy got up at eight o'clock her uncle had fallen into his first sound sleep.
She never disturbed him until she had made the fire and cooked the coffee and boiled the three white eggs. By this time the Major was dressed and shaved, and he aroused Uncle John and bade him hurry into the closet and make his toilet, "so that Patsy could put the house to rights."
Uncle John obeyed eagerly, and was ready as soon as the Major had brought the smoking rolls from the bakery. Ah, but it was a merry breakfast; and a delicious one into the bargain. Uncle John seemed hungry, and looked at the empty egg-shells regretfully.
"Next time, Patsy," he said, "you must buy six eggs."
"Look at his recklessness!" cried Patsy, laughing. "You're just as bad as the Major, every bit. If you men hadn't me for a guardian you'd be in the poorhouse in a month."
"But we have you, my dear," said Uncle John, smiling into her dancing eyes; "so we won't complain at one egg instead of two."
Just then someone pounded on the door, and the girl ran to open it. There was a messenger boy outside, looking smart and neat in his blue-and-gold uniform, and he touched his cap politely to the girl.
"Miss Patricia Doyle?"
"That's me."
"A parcel for you. Sign here, please."
Patsy signed, bothering her head the while