Before Midnight

"Sure I hear you. I'd like to say more because my phone conversations don't get recorded very often, but there's nothing to say. Goodbye."

I went to the hall, up the flight of stairs to Wolfe's room, tapped on the door, and entered. He was in the big chair by the window, in bis shirt sleeves with his vest unbuttoned, with his book.

"You look nice and comfortable," I said approvingly, "but you prefer the chair downstairs and you can come on down if you want to. O'Garro just phoned and canceled the order. We're fired. He said the conversation was being recorded. I wonder why it makes a man feel important to have what he says on the phone recorded? I don't mean him, I mean me."

"Bosh," he said.

"No, really, it did make me feel important."

"Shut up." He closed his eyes. In a minute he opened them. "Very well. I'll be down shortly. It's a confounded nuisance."

I agreed and left him. As I went back downstairs my feelings were mixed. Getting tossed out on our ear would certainly be no fun, it wouldn't help our prestige any, and it would reduce our bill by about ninety-five per cent to a mere exorbitant charge for consultation, but I did not burst into tears as I began strolling around the office to wait for developments. At least the fat son of a gun would have to snap out of it and show something. At least his eyes would get a rest from the strain of constant reading. At least I wouldn't have to try to dig up more ways of explaining why they couldn't speak to a genius while he was fermenting.

The phone rang, and I answered it, and was told by a baritone that I recognized, "This is Rudolph Hansen. I want to speak to Mr. Wolfe."

I didn't bother. I said curtly, "Nothing doing. Orders not to disturb."

"Nonsense. He has already been disturbed by the message from Mr. O'Garro. Let me speak to him."

"I haven't given him the message from O'Garro. When he tells me to disturb him on no account he means it."

"You haven't given him that message?"

"No, sir."

"Why not?"

"My God, how many times must I say it? Do… not… disturb."

"That certainly is a strange way of--no matter. It's just as well. Mr. O'Garro was too impetuous. His message is hereby canceled, on my authority as counsel for the firm of Lippert, Buff and Assa. Mr. Wolfe is too highhanded and we would like to be kept better informed, but we have full confidence in him and we want him to go on. Tell him that-no, I'll tell him. I'll drop in a little later. I'm tied up here for the present."