"Ol-ol—howjerspellit, anyhow?" askedthetartyoungladytowhomArcherhadpushedhiswife'stelegramacrossthebrassledgeoftheWesternUnionoffice.
"Olenska—O-len-ska," herepeated, drawingbackthemessageinordertoprintouttheforeignsyllablesaboveMay'sramblingscript.
"It'sanunlikelynameforaNewYorktelegraphoffice; atleastinthisquarter," anunexpectedvoiceobserved; andturningaroundArchersawLawrenceLeffertsathiselbow, pullinganimperturbablemoustacheandaffectingnottoglanceatthemessage."Hallo, Newland: thoughtI'dcatchyouhere.I''sstroke; 'vecomefromthere?"
Archernodded, andpushedhistelegramunderthelattice.
"Verybad, eh?" Leffertscontinued."Wiringtothefamily, , ifyou'reincludingCountessOlenska."
Archer'slipsstiffened; hefeltasavageimpulsetodashhisfistintothelongvainhandsomefaceathisside.
"Why?" hequestioned.
Lefferts, whowasknowntoshrinkfromdiscussion, "form" thelookremindedArcher, thananydisplayoftemperinapublicplace.
Archerhadneverbeenmoreindifferenttotherequirementsofform; 'snamewithhimatsuchatime, andonwhatsoeverprovocation, , , havingregainedhisself-control, wenton: ": thedoctorfeelsnoanxietywhatever"; andLefferts, withprofuseexpressionsofrelief, askedhimifhehadheardthattherewerebeastlybadrumoursagainaboutBeaufort....'sstroke, andonlythefewwhohadheardofthemysteriousconnectionbetweenthetwoeventsthoughtofascribingoldCatherine'sillnesstoanythingbuttheaccumulationoffleshandyears.
