Page:Madame Butterfly; Purple eyes; A gentleman of Japan and a lady; Kito; Glory (1904).djvu/157

 "Le-vi—a wha' 's that? " questioned Kohana-San, in some alarm.

"Big as a house."

She held up her own satiny small ones. Bob inclosed both of them in his one. The naval cadet was heard, like a machine, on the stairs.

Bob glared in that direction ferociously—and let go the hands.

"Come—come—come! cried Kohana-San, panically, rearranging the kanzashi in her hair. She was to make the tea, in the Japanese fashion.

"Yes," said Bob, with a frightful thumping in the cardiac region; "I might as well get it over. This coat—will you give me a lift?"

This was to the cadet, who stood like a graven image at the head of the stairs; but Kohana-San had him inside of it in a jiffy.

"Go on, Admiral!" said Bob. "We 're coming."

The cadet threw one hand to his chest, dropped the other at his side, faced about, and started down, processionally.

"An' me? I take your arm, this away?"

Kohana-San did it with a gay grace. Bob immediately lost his transient gaiety.