'Terribly.' The comer of her mouth went up another sixteenth of an inch. 'Because I'm frank and simple. Because I never offer anything I don't give, and I never give any- thing and then expect to get paid for it. I'm frightfully un- healthy. But I guess I was wrong to say superficial. I doubt if Caroline thinks I'm superficial.'
'Excuse me a minute,' I said, and stood up. Even in the midst of being ruined I had had Wolfe's table across the tent in the corner of my eye, partly to note his reaction to the fricassee, which had appeared to be satis- factory since he had ordered a second portion, and my in- terrupting my despoiler was on account of a sign from him. A man was standing by Wolfe's chair talking to him, and Wolfe had glanced in my direction with a lift to his brow which I considered significant. So I excused myself to Lily and got up and ambled over. As I arrived the man turned his head and I saw it was Lew Bennett, the secretary of the National Guernsey League.
'Archie, I must thank you.' Wolfe put his napkin down. 'For suggesting the fricassee. It is superb. Only female Americans can make good dumplings, and not many of them.'
'Yes, sir.'
'You have met Mr. Bennett.'
'Yes, sir.'
'Can you conveniently extricate yourself from that…' He turned a thumb in the direction I had come from.
'You mean right now?'
'As soon as may be. Now if you are not too involved. Mr. Bennett has been looking for me at the request of Mr. Osgood, who is waiting in the exposition office and wishes to see me. Mr. Shanks and I shall have finished our lunch in ten minutes.'
'Okay. I'm badly involved but I'll manage it.'
I went back to my table and told Lily we must part, and summoned the Methodist to give me a check. The damage proved to be $1.60, and, having relinquished a pair of dimes for the missionaries, I reflected with pride that the firm had cleaned up 20 cents net on the deal.
Lily said in a tone of real disappointment without any petulance that I could detect, 'I had supposed we would spend the afternoon together, watching the races and riding on the merry-go-round and throwing balls at things…'
'Not ever,' I said firmly. 'Not the afternoon. Whatever the future may have in store for us, whatever may betide, I work afternoons. Understand once and for all that I am a workingman and I only play with toys at odd moments. I am working when you would least expect it. Throughout this delightful lunch with you, I have been working and earning money.'
'I suppose while you were paying me all those charming compliments one part of your brain, the most important part, was busy on some difficult problem.'
'That's the idea.'
'Dear Escamillo. Darling Escamillo. But the afternoon comes to an end, doesn't it? What will you be doing this evening?'
'God knows. I work for Nero Wolfe.'
7
THE BOOM in die exposition offices, to which Bennett led us, on a kind of mezzanine in the' Administration Building, was large and lofty, with two dusty windows in the board wall and plain board partitions for the other three sides. The only furniture were three big rough tables and a dozen wooden chairs. On one table were a pile of faded bunting and a bushel basket half-full of apples; the other two were bare. Three of the chairs were occupied. Sidney Darth, Chairman of the North Atlantic Exposition Board, was on the edge of one but jumped up as we entered;
Frederick Osgood, the upstate duke, had sagging shoulders and a tired and bitter but determined expression; and Nancy Osgood sat with her spine curved and looked miserable all over.
Bennett did the introductions. Darth mumbled something about people waiting for him and loped off. Wolfe's eyes traveled over the furniture with a hopeless look, ending at me, meaning couldn't I for God's sake rustle a chair some- where that would hold all of him, but I shook my head in- flexibly, knowing how useless it was. He compressed his lips, heaved a sigh, and sat down.
Bennett said,. 'I can stay if you want… if I can be of any help..,' Wolfe looked at Osgood and Osgood shook his head: 'No thanks. Lew. You run along.' Bennett hesitated a second, looking as if he wouldn't mind staying a bit, and then beat it. After the door had closed behind him I re- quisitioned a chair for myself and sat down.
Osgood surveyed Wolfe with an aristocratic scowl. 'So you're Nero Wolfe. I understand you came to Crowfield to exhibit orchids.'
Wolfe snapped at him, 'Who told you so?' The scowl got half startled away, but came right back again. 'Does it matter who told me?'
'No. Nor does it matter why I came to Crowfield. Mr. Bennett said you wished to consult me, but surely not about orchids.'
I restrained a grin, knowing that Wolfe was not only establishing control, which was practical and desirable, but was also relieving his resentment at having been sent for and having come, even if it was on his way anyhow.
'I don't give a damn about the orchids.' Osgood preserved the scowl. 'The purpose of your presence here is relevant because I need to know if you are a friend of Tom Pratt's, or are being employed by him, or have been. You were at his house last night.'
'Relevant to what, sir?' Wolfe sounded patient with dis- tress. 'Either you want to consult me or you don't. If you do, and I find that I am in any way committed to a conflicting interest, I shall tell you so. You have
