In the Best Families

I read it over and signed it. It looked businesslike, I thought, with the regulation initialling at the bottom, the 'hs' being for 'himself. When I left, after putting the stationery in a drawer and getting things in order for the rush of business on Monday morning, I dropped the envelope in the mail chute. I was doing it that way, instead of phoning her, for three reasons: if she had changed her mind she could just ignore it; I had a date, purely personal, for the week-end; and I had drawn myself a salary cheque, the last one, for that week. On my way home I made a detour to Fifty-fourth Street, to tell Marko

Vukcic what I had done, because I thought he should be the first to know.

He made it not only plain but emphatic that he disapproved. I told him,

“Experience tells me that pants wear out quicker sitting down than moving around. Intelligence tells me that it's better to wait till you die to start to rot. I would appreciate it if you will convey that to him next time you write him or phone him.

“You know perfectly good, Archie, that-

“Not perfectly good. Perfectly well.

“You know that I have said nothing, but nothing, that might make you think I can write him or phone him.

“You didn't need to. I know it's not your fault, but where does it leave me? Let me know any time you get a buyer for the house, and I'll move out.

I left him still wanting to argue.

I was not kidding myself that I had really cut loose, since I hadn't moved my bed out, but the way I figured it a caretaker who is drawing no pay has a right to a room; and besides, Fritz was still sleeping there and we were splitting on the groceries for breakfast, and I didn't want to insult either him or my stomach by breaking that up.

I shall now have to specify when I say office-or, better, I'll say office when I mean Wolfe's office, and when I mean my Madison Avenue suite I'll say 1019.

Monday morning, arriving at 1019 a little after ten, I rang the phone-answering service and was told that there had been no calls, and then dug into the morning mail, which consisted of a folder from a window-cleaning outfit. After giving it full consideration, I typed notes on my new stationery to some personal friends, and an official letter to the City of New York giving notice of my change of address as a licensed detective. I was sitting trying to think who else I might write to when the phone rang-my first incoming call.

I picked it up and told the transmitter plainly, “Archie Goodwin's office.