“Wait a minute, Babe. I got the Bearcat’s best interest at heart. I don’t ask you to do anythin’ for me. But if you think anythin’ of the Bearcat, you’ll leave him alone, till after this fight with Harlem Joe.” He squeezed two tears into the corners of his eyes. “Babe, don’t you understand? Don’t you realize what this means to me? Here I been spending my time and money for years on the Bearcat to make him the fighter he is now. For God’s sake, don’t ruin him on me. If you want dough—if you need money, I’ll give it to you, but please, please gimme a chance to get somethin’ out of all my work and worry.”

Babe looked at him coldly.

“Babe,” Charlie said pleadingly, “I never said anything to the Bearcat about you. I never told him how you picked all those other fighters clean. I never told him how you wrecked those guys.”

“Yeah,” said Babe. “And I never told the Bearcat how you tried for three hours to make me up in Toni’s one time.”

“For God’s sake, Babe,” Charlie begged. “Do you want me to get down on my knees to you?”

“No,” said Babe. “You needn’t bother tonight.”

“Listen, Babe, if you’ll just layoff the Bearcat till after this fight, you can do what you want with him. If he wins, he’ll have plenty of jack. But if he loses, he won’t be no good no more. He won’t get a crack at the champeenship—he won’t be no good to me or you.”

“Well,” said Babe. “Why the hell didn’t you talk like this when you first came in instead of threatenin’ me? I ain’t got a heart of stone. I can listen to reason. But hell, nobody in this world can bully me into somethin’.”

Charlie brightened.

“Then you will keep away from the Bearcat till after this fight?”

Babe looked at Charlie for a moment. She tried to read Charlie’s intentions. What was back of his sudden change of tactics, she wondered. She could not figure him out.

“I’ll think it over,” she said slowly.

“You’re a sport!” cried Charlie.

The telephone rang. Babe lifted the receiver.

“Hello,” she said. Then she shot a glance at Charlie. “Come back in about ten minutes. I’ll be ready then. All right.” She hung up.

“Babe,” said Charlie, “if I can ever do anything for you, let me know.”

“Now get to hell out of here, you rat! I’ll see you later.”

Charlie got.