Prisoner's Base

"I'll never want them back." She sounded quite positive. "When I went to the hall, long after you had left, and saw that the coat and hat were gone, I cried like a baby. When I quit crying I was scared. I was afraid I had been crying because the coat and hat were gone, but then I realized that wasn't it, only I didn't know what it was. Anyhow I quit worrying about why I had cried because I knew one thing for certain-I knew I was glad the coat and hat were gone, and I knew you had done a wonderful thing for me after the way I acted. I guess you understood why I acted like that. I'm a terrible coward, I always have been. I'm such a coward that three times yesterday afternoon when I started to phone you I simply couldn't make my finger turn the dial."

"You could have-"

"No, please! Let me finish or I won't. I slept better than I have for a long time-I don't know when. I had a wonderful sleep! And while I was eating breakfast, there where you were with me yesterday, I realized how it was. I realized that I had to do anything you asked me to do, anything-only of course not-I mean, anything you would ask me-that is, anything I can do. So just tell me what it is."

"I told you yesterday."

"I know, but I don't remember it very well."

I explained it carefully, but it didn't seem that she listened carefully, from a couple of questions she asked, so I explained it again. She said she would be at the office at eleven o'clock. I suggested that she bring her own lawyer, and she said she didn't want to tell him about it because he might not approve and she didn't want to argue with him. I didn't insist, since Nathaniel Parker was going to be asked to act on her behalf, and she couldn't possibly do any better.

She warned me, "I don't think I'm still a nut, but I'm still a coward, so I'm pretty brave to do this and I hope you know it."

I told her that I did and fully appreciated it.