Page:Angna Enters - Among the Daughters.djvu/489

 He came running down the stairs, scarcely awake.

"Hello," she said uncertainly. "I thought I'd say hello from Figente early because I'm only here for three days and have to go to Lanvin's early."

"A qui se leve matin, Dieu prête la main," insinuated a workingman in blue clattering past in sabots, and winked leeringly at Vermillion who laughed.

"What did he say?" Lucy asked suspiciously.

"He said—roughly—'the early bird catches the worm.'"

"I never thought a Frenchman in wooden shoes would be the first to make me feel at home in Paris." Vermillion hadn't seemed pleased to see her.

"Frenchmen—with or without shoes—always are prepared to make a girl feel at home."

"That's what I like," she said pointedly.

He led her to a side-street café. Aping other early breakfasters she dipped the buttery croissant in the "white" coffee. "This is good."

He nodded. "I heard the show is a big success, especially you."

"You did! Who told you?" It was so hard to look directly at him: if she did he could see how she felt.

"Paris isn't that far from New York."

"Seems awfully far away to me."

He smiled. "New York seems far away to me, too, sometimes—but home is where the hat is."

"That's my home too—it depends on whom you're with, doesn't it?"

"How's Vida?"

He wouldn't take the hint. You come thousands of miles, and then talk about Vida! "Fine! Figente gave her Hal's apartment and she's working at Hector's, the milliner."

"So she wrote, but it's hard to picture her at a milliner's."

"You'd be surprised."

He was startled by the irritated inflection and they sat, silent, watching the awakening city.

She was sorry she had looked him up. It had been a crazy idea. The night did strange things to you, but in the morning you have to face the same old thing. He didn't want her.

"What time do shops open? I must go to Lanvin's early."

"That's an idiotic way of spending a few days in Paris."

"That's w'hat I think. After Lanvin's at eleven, I haven't a thing to do until I meet Beman at Prunier's at one." Rh