"Hello, hello!"
A faint hum of voices, rising and falling, beat against the walls of
his understanding. Were the wires crossed? He lifted an impatient
finger to jiggle the hook and call Central to order, when--something
crashed heavily. He could have likened the sound, without a strain of
imagination, to a chair being violently overturned. And then a woman's
voice, clear, accents informed with anger and pain: "_No!_" and then....
"Say, that's my mistake. That line you had's out of order. I had a call
for them a while ago, and they didn't answer. Guess you'll have to
wait."
"Central! Central!" he pleaded desperately. "I say, Central, give me
that connection again, please."
"Ah, say! what's the matter with you, anyway? Didn't I tell you that
line was out of order? Ring off!"
Automatically Maitland returned the receiver to its rest; and rose,
white-lipped and trembling. That woman's voice....
X