An instant later, however,
one of them had turned around and faced toward the rear of the
restaurant.
Alice darted behind the screen with a quick intaking of her breath.
She had recognized the man, and was fearful lest he know her.
For he was the fellow with whom Russ had been in dispute in the
hallway that day, when the DeVeres' door had flown open.
"Simp Wolley!" whispered Alice, in tense tones to Ruth. "It's that
man who was after Russ's patent."
"Then don't let him see you."
"I won't--no danger. They're going out now. Come on!"
"Where?" asked Ruth, as Alice reached for her gloves.
"We must go to warn Russ."
"But we haven't eaten what we ordered," objected Ruth, pointing to
the food, hardly touched, on the table.
"No matter, we can pay for it."
"But the cashier will think it so odd."
"What do we care. It's our food--we'll pay for it, and we can do what
we like with it then. We can eat it or not."
"But they'll think it so queer. They may think we have some prejudice
against it, and----"
Ruth was a stickler for the established order of things.
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