He appeared from somewhere in a lumbering trot, stum- bling. Behind him came Osgood, looking startled. From the other direction came the sound of a gallop, and that proved to be the keeper, with a revolver in his hand. I grinned at them: 'April fool. Show me to my room. I'm sleepy. It's the country air.'
Osgood rumbled, 'Clown.' The warden looked relieved. I tossed a cheery good night to Wolfe over my shoulder, and started off down the hall with the keeper trailing me.
Basil was seated on his cot brushing his hair. He asked me what the yelling had been for and I told him I had had a fit. I asked him what time the lights went out and he told me 9 o'clock, so I proceeded to get my bed made. Having had the forethought to order 5 copies of the newspaper, there was more than enough to cover the cot entirely with a double thickness. Basil suspended the brushing momentarily to watch me arranging it with ample laps, and when I was nearly through he observed that it would rustle so much that I wouldn't be able to sleep and neither would he. I replied that when I once got set I was as dead as a log, and he re- marked in a sinister tone that it might not turn out that way in my present quarters. I finished the job anyhow. Down the line somewhere two voices were raised in an argument as to whether February 22nd was a national holiday, and others joined in.
It was approaching 9 o'clock when the key was turned in our lock again and the keeper appeared in the door and told me I was wanted.
'Gripes,' Basil said, 'we'll have to install a telephone.' It couldn't be Wolfe, I thought. There was no one else it could be except Waddell or Barrow, and there wasn't a chance of getting put on the sidewalk by them, and if they wanted to harry me they could damn well wait until morning, I decided to be contrary.
'Whoever it is, tell him I've gone to bed.'
Even in the dim light, I seemed to perceive that the keeper looked disappointed. He asked, 'Don't you want to see her?'
'Her?'
'It's your sister.'
'Oh. I'll be derned. My dear sister.'
My tone must have been good, for there was no audible derision as for the second time I preceded the keeper along the corridor. I went for two reasons, the first being curiosity. It might conceivable be Nancy or Caroline, but my guess was Lily, and the only way of finding out was to go and see. Second, I felt I should cooperate. 9 o'clock at night was no visiting time at a jail, and if it was Lily she must have been liberal in her negotiations with the warden, and I hated to see money wasted. It was the first time I could remember that anyone had paid cash to have a look at me, and I thought it was touching. So I trotted along.
It was Lily. The warden was at his desk, and stayed there, and the keeper closed the door and stood in front of it Lily was in a chair in a dark comer, and I crossed to her.
'Hello, sis.' I sat down.
'You know,' she said, 'I was wondering last night what would be the best thing to do with you, but it never occurred to me to lock you up. When you get out of here I'll try it. When will that be, by the way?'
'No telling. In time to spend Christmas at home, I hope. How are dad and ma and Oscar and Violet and Arthur-' 'Fine. Is it cosy?'
'Marvelous.'
'Have you had anything to eat?'
'Plenty. There's a caterer.'
'Have you got money?'
'Sure, how much do you want?'
She shook her head. 'No, really. I'm flush.' She opened her bag.
I reached and shut it. 'No, you don't. Jimmy Pratt gave me 10 dollars today and that's partly why I'm here. Money is the root of all evil. Is there anything I can do for you?'
'Why, Escamillo. I came to see you.'
'I'm aware of that. Did you bring any bedding?'
'No, but I can get some. Do you want some?'
'No, thanks. I was just curious. I have plenty of newspaper. But would you like to do me a favor?'
'I won't sleep if I can't do you a favor.'
'Will you be up at midnight?'
'I can stay up.'
'Do so. At midnight get Osgood's on the phone and ask to speak to Mr. Nero Wolfe. Tell him you're Mrs. Titus Good- win and that you are at the Crowfield Hotel, having just come in an airplane from Cleveland, Ohio. Tell him that you got a telegram from your son Archie saying that he is in jail, stranded and abandoned and in despair. Tell him you want to know what the hell he had me put in jail for and you'll have the law on him, and you'll expect to see him first thing in the morning and he must be prepared to rectify his ghastly mistake without delay. And atone for it. Tell him he'll have to atone for it.' I considered. 'I guess that will do.'
She nodded. 'I've got it. Is any of it straight?'
'No, it's firecrackers.'
'Then why don't I rout him out tonight? Make him come to the hotel right away and look for me. I mean at mid- night.'
