paper, walked up to us, and was standing in front of Constanza, looking down at her.
He said, “You can’t do this to me, you
Constanza said to me, chattering prettily, “I didn’t suppose my father would
The intruder moved enough inches to be standing between us, and rudely interrupted her: “Hello, Goodwin. I want to ask you-”
“Hello, Tolman.” I grinned up at him. “What’s the idea? You with two brand new prisoners in your jail, and here you are running around-”
“I had to get to New York. For evidence. It was too important… Look here. I want to ask you if Miss Berin has any right to treat me like this. Your unbiased opinion. She won’t speak to me. She won’t look at me. Didn’t I have to do what I did? Was there anything else I could do?”
“Certainly. You could have resigned. But then of course you’d have been out of a job, and God knows when you’d have been able to marry. It was really a problem, I see that. But I wouldn’t worry. Only a little while ago I wondered why Miss Berin was doing so much smiling, there didn’t seem to be any special reason for it, but now I understand. She was smiling because she knew you were on the train.”
“Mr. Goodwin! That isn’t true!”
“But if she won’t even speak to me-”
I waved a hand. “Shell speak to you all right. You just don’t know how to go about it. Her own method is as good a one as I’ve seen recently. Watch me now, and next time you can do it yourself.”
I tipped my highball glass and spilled about a jigger on her skirt where it was round over her knee.
She ejaculated and jerked. Tolman ejaculated and bent over and reached for his handkerchief. I arose and reassured them, “It’s rite all kight, it doodn’t stain.” Then I went over and picked up his morning paper and sat down where he had been.
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3/09/2007
