The Doorbell Rang (The Rex Stout Library)

"So she'll need a lawyer even more. I feel very strongly about this. I invited her to lunch. I am almost prepared to say that if she is billed for it I will feel that I must tell her privately that it was on the house. She may want-"

The doorbell rang. I got up and went to the hall and saw a character on the stoop I had never seen before, but I had seen plenty of pictures of him. I stepped back in and said, "Well, well. The big fish."

He frowned at me, then got it, and did something he never does. He left his chair and came. We stood side by side, looking. The caller put a finger to the button, and the doorbell rang.

"No appointment," I said. "Shall I take him to the front room to wait a while?"

"No. I have nothing for him. Let him get a sore finger." He turned and went back in to his desk.

I stepped in. "He probably came all the way from Washington just to see you. Quite an honor."

"Pfui. Come and finish this."

I returned to my chair. "As I was saying, I may have to tell her privately…"

The doorbell rang.

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21/08/2007

LRS to LRF parser v.0.9; Mikhail Sharonov, 2006; msh-tools.com/ebook/