The Second Confesion

“There are restrictions on the air,” he said, “that don't apply here. The animal I had in mind was the hyena. The ones with four legs are never fat, but those with two legs sometimes are. Your boss is. You're not.” “I'll count three,” I said. “One, two, three.” With an open palm I slapped him on the right cheek, and as he rocked I straightened him up with one on the left The second one was a little harder, but not at all vicious. I turned and moved, not in haste, back among the trees. When I got to the other edge of the clump Madeline was beside me.

“That didn't impress me much,” she declared, in a voice that wanted to tremble but didn't “He's not exactly Joe Louis.” I kept moving. “These things are relative,” I explained. “When your sister called Mr Wolfe a cheap filthy little worm I didn't even shake a finger at her, let alone slap her. But the impulse to wipe his sneer off would have been irresistible even if he hadn't said a word and even if he had been only half the size. Anyway, it didn't leave a mark on him. Look what your mother did to me, and I wasn't sneering.” She wasn't convinced. “Next time do it when I'm not there. Who did scratch you?”

“Paul Emerson. I was just getting even. We'll never find that card case if you don't help me look.” An hour later we were side by side on the grass at the edge of the brook, a little below the bridge, discussing lunch. Her polite position was that there was no reason why I shouldn't go to the house for it, and I was opposed.

Lunching with Mrs Sperling and Jimmy, whom I had caught technically breaking and entering, with Webster Kine, whom Wolfe had called a liar, and with Emerson, whom I had just smacked on both cheeks, didn't appeal to me on the whole.

Besides, my errand now looked hopeless. I had covered, as well as I could with company along, all the territory from the house to the bridge, and some of it beyond the bridge, and I could take a look at the rest of it on the way out.