“Mr. Wolfe?
How do you do?
Permit me.” He turned and bowed again, at Helen Frost, with a different technique. “So there you are!
How are you?
You're been crying!
Forgive me, I have no tact, I shouldn't have mentioned that.
How are you?
All right?”
“Certainly I'm all right!
For heaven's sake, Perren, why did you come?”
“I came to take you home.”
Gebert turned and shot the dark eyes at Wolfe.
“Permit me, sir.
I came to escort Miss Frost home.”
“Indeed,” Wolfe murmured. “Officially?
Forcibly?
In spite of anything?”
“Well…” Gebert smiled. “Semi-officially.
How shall I say it…Miss Frost is almost my fiancee,”
“Perren!
That isn't true!
I've told you not to say that!”
“I said ‘almost,’ Helen.” He raised his palms to deprecate himself. “I put in the ‘almost,’ and I permit myself to say it only in hope-”
'Well, don't say it again.
Why did you come?”
Gebert got in another bow.
“The truth is, your mother suggested it.”
“Oh. She did.” Miss Frost glanced around at all her protectors. She looked plenty exasperated. “I suppose she suggested it to you too, Lew.
And you, Bennie?”
“Now, Helen.” The lawyer sounded persuasive. “Don't start on me.
I came here because when Lew told me about it, it seemed the best thing to do. – Be quiet, Lew! It seems to me that if we just discuss this thing quietly…”
The telephone rang, and I got back in my chair for it.
Leach went on talking, spreading oil.
As soon as I learned who it was on the phone I got discreet. I pronounced no names and kept my words down.
It appeared to me likely that this time it was the right one.
I asked him to hold the wire a minute, and choked the transmitter, and wrote on a piece of paper, McN wants to pay us a call, and handed it across to Wolfe.
Wolfe glanced at it and stuck it in his pocket and said softly,
“Thank you, Archie.
That's more like it.
Tell Mr. Brown to telephone again in fifteen minutes.”
I had trouble with that. McNair was urgent and wasn't going to be put off.
The others had stopped talking.
I made it reasurring but firm, and finally managed it.
I hung up and told Wolfe: “Okay.”
He was making preparations to arise.
He shoved his chair back, got his hands on its arms for levers, and up came the mountain.
He stood and distributed a glance and put on his crispest tone:
“Gentlemen.
It is nearly four o'clock and I must leave you. – No, permit me.
Miss Frost has kindly accepted my invitation to come to my plant rooms and see my orchids.