His mind wandered toward other things and finally into
space. His head dropped lower and lower on his chest; his
breathing became laboured-- so laboured in fact that it attracted
the attention of Maggie, who was about to pass him on her way to
the door.
"Sure an it's Mr. Jinks!" exclaimed Maggie. Then coming close
to the side of the unsuspecting sleeper, she hissed a startling
message in his ear. "Me mother said to tell you that me fadder's
hoppin' mad at you, sir."
Jimmy sat up and rubbed his eyes. He studied the young person at
his elbow, then he glanced at Alfred, utterly befuddled as to
what had happened while he had been on a journey to happier
scenes. Apparently Maggie was waiting for an answer to
something, but to what? Jimmy thought he detected an ominous look
in Alfred's eyes. Letting his hand fall over the arm of the
chair so that Alfred could not see it, Jimmy began to make
frantic signals to Maggie to depart; she stared at him the
harder.
"Go away," whispered Jimmy, but Maggie did not move. "Shoo,
shoo!" he said, and waved her off with his hand.
Puzzled by Jimmy's sudden aversion to this apparently harmless
child, Alfred turned to Maggie with a puckered brow.
"Your father's mad at Jimmy?" he repeated. "What about?"
For once Jimmy found it in his heart to be grateful to Zoie for
the prompt answer that came from her direction.
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