“Not till I finish the last spoonful of this ice cream,” Mabel said firmly. “I’d think about it regretfully every time I’m marooned somewhere on a desert over there.”
“What’s all the hurry?” Mabel wanted to know, an edge in her tone.
Out of the corner of her eye Nancy saw that the sleek gentleman across the aisle was watching them. Then she noticed that Tini’s attention had wandered sufficiently from her companion to recognize them.
“Hiya!” she said with a proud toss of her head, which plainly showed her personal triumph over their dateless condition.
Nancy returned the greeting and led the way out. When they were on the street, Mabel slipped her arm through Nancy’s and inquired, “What’s wrong? You acted as though you were sitting on nettles.”
“Nettles would have been mild to the prickles I felt.”
“That man with Tini looked exactly like the one who was with the blond corporal I told you about on the train.”
“Oh! So that’s why you thanked me in German?”
“Of course. I wanted to see if I could get a reaction out of him.”
“I’ll say. He shot a glance at me as if I’d poked him in the ribs.”
Mabel grunted. “Don’t see where that proves anything. Anybody using German words in these times should surely make people sit up and take notice.”
“But I could swear he’s the same, Mabel. Dark-rimmed glasses, small mustache, lean face, and a very immaculate, tailored look about his clothes.”
“Well, what are you going to do about it?”
“Go straight to Captain Lewis. I’m taking no chances again, even if it gets Tini into trouble.”
“She’s certainly acted in a way to make us suspicious,” agreed Nancy.
“Oh, she’s always acted like that—behind the backs of those over her. I never paid much attention to that. She’s an only child, very spoiled. Her parents have oodles of money.”
“Then she didn’t have to take nurse’s training—for a way to make a living.”
Mabel laughed significantly again. “At the time she went in she was in love with one of the hospital internes. It gave her a chance to be with him more.”
“She sure didn’t. Soon after he got settled with his practice, he married a real sweet girl. By that time Tini was so nearly through her training she couldn’t quit without causing lots of talk.”
“Strange for her to take on the hardships of the Army Nurse Corps.”