Some Buried Caesar

"Over where?" Osgood demanded.

"Pratt's place. I walked across the fields. I knew I had offended you by disagreeing this morning with your ideas about the… accident. I wanted to look it over. I met young Pratt,.but not his father, and that man McMillan-"

"What did you expect to accomplish by that?"

"Nothing, I suppose. I'm sorry if I've offended again. But I didn't… I was discreet. I suppose I shouldn't be here, I should have left this morning, but with this terrible…with Clyde dead, and.I'm the only one of his New York friends here… it seemed…"

"It doesn't matter," said Osgood roughly. "Stay. I said so."

"I know you did, but frankly… I feel very much de trop… I'll leave now if you prefer it…"

"Excuse me." It was Wolfe's quiet murmur. "You had bet- ter stay, Mr. Bronson. Much better. We may need you."

The clever eyes flickered at him. "Oh. If Nero Wolfe says stay…" He lifted his shoulders and let them down. "But I don't need to stay here. I can go to a Crowfield hotel-"

"Nonsense." Osgood scowled at him. "Stay here. You were Clyde's guest, weren't you? Stay here. But if you want to walk in the fields, there's plenty of directions besides the one leading to Pratt's."

Abruptly he started off, and we followed, as Bronson again lifted his handkerchief to his sweaty brow.

A few minutes later we were seated in a large room with French windows, lined with books and furnished for com- fort, and were being waited on by a lassie with a pug nose who had manners far superior to Bert's but was way beneath him in speed and spirit as a drink-slinger. Nancy had disap- peared but was understood to be on call. Osgood was scowl- ing at a highball, Wolfe was gulping beer which, judging from his expression, was too warm, and I had plain water.

Wolfe was saying testily, "My own method is the only one available to me. I either use that or none at all. I may be only clearing away rubbish, but that's my affair. The plain fact is, sir, that last night, in Mr. Goodwin's presence, you be- haved in an astonishing manner to him and Mr. Pratt. You were rude, arrogant and unreasonable. I need to know whether that was due to the emotional shock you had had, or to your belief that Mr. Pratt was somehow involved in the death of your son, or was merely your normal conduct."